


Red Eyes: The First New-Type

by sleeping0dragon



Category: God Eater (Video Games)
Genre: Angst, Drama, F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-09-11
Updated: 2017-10-28
Packaged: 2018-12-26 17:04:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 43,989
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12063330
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sleeping0dragon/pseuds/sleeping0dragon
Summary: At the young age of 11, Yuu Kannagi became one of the youngest God Eaters in history as well as the first discovered New Type. After creating a devastating incident in the Far East Branch, he transferred to Fenrir's headquarters. 8 years later, he returned to the Far East Branch to help stabilize the region using the abilities and skills he had acquired during his absence.





	1. Returning Home

**Author's Note:**

> Yuu will be paired with somebody, but I'll keep it a mystery for now.

**RED EYES: THE FIRST NEW-TYPE**

** PROLOGUE **

_It was dark. Completely pitched black. The boy struggled to stay awake despite hours had long passed since he became trapped under the heavy rubble. His breathing slow and wheezy. His eyelids weak and heavy as they slid up and down in a constant rhythm like a small wave drifting through the ocean at night. If not for the intense pain burning throughout his body, his mind would have already surrendered to the blissful prospect of slumber._

_He tried to move his arms and legs, but they were numb and unresponsive. In attempting to move his body, a drop of something warm trickled down his face until it entered the side of his opened mouth. The taste of iron. Blood. His blood. Apparently the movement had reopened a wound on his head. He had lost a lot of blood in the incident and the effects were beginning to take a toll on him as a result, threatening to drag him unconscious. His mind was hazy and foggy so when he heard footsteps in the distant, he thought it was only his mind playing tricks on him._

_"This looks bad. Do you think it was them?" A man asked._

_The man wasn't alone because the boy then heard the voice of another man. "Aragami, no doubt about it. The destruction here is not natural at all and could only be made by them."_

_"Poor souls."_

_"Do you think there are any survivors?"_

_"Don't know. I doubt it, but we should at least check."_

_"Helloooo! Is anyone alive!" One of the men called out, shattering the heavy silence._

_"Call out if you can hear us!"_

_The boy had heard the men clearly this time and tried to call out, but no sound left his mouth as if something was lodged deep within his throat. The boy futilely continued in his endeavor for the next few minutes until the men seemed to have lost all hope in finding survivors._

_"Come on, there's probably nobody else around. We should hurry before any of those Aragami comes back."_

_"Yeah, good idea."_

_The boy heard the footsteps retreating into the distant. In a final effort to call out, the boy focused all of his energy into his throat. Instead of forming any words however, the boy began to cough violently. The footsteps came to a halt._

_"Did you hear that?" A man whispered._

_"Sounds like...coughing?"_

_"There must be a survivor. Where's it coming from?"_

_The footsteps moved around the area until someone was within a feet of the boy._

_"Hey over here! I think there's someone buried underneath. Help me get this off."_

_A second set of footsteps quickly converged with the nearby man._

_"You get that end and I'll get this end."_

_"Okay."_

_"On three. 3...2...1...Now!"_

_The boy could hear loud grunts as he felt the heavy stone on his chest slowly rise, reducing the pressure on his body. A dozen of small rocks tumbled down the large stone as the internal support of the rubble was forcefully removed. A beam of bright light pierced the darkness and blinded his eyes, forcing them shut._

_With one final grunt, the men pushed the stone out of the way and stood over the boy, blocking most of the sunlight and allowing him to reopen his eyes._

_"Geez, you're in terrible shape," the man on the left commented while shaking his head with sympathy in his eyes. "We need to quickly get you to a doctor!"_

_"What's your name?" The man on the right asked as he removed a few smaller stones near the boy. "What happened here? Are there any other survivors?"_

_In a dry raspy voice, the boy replied, "...K-Kan..."_

_"Kan?"_

_The boy coughed and then resumed his attempt to identify himself. "Kan...na...gi."_

_"Your name is Kannagi?"_

_Before the boy's mind and body completely gave in and fell unconscious, he breathed out one last word. "Yuu."_

* * *

** CHAPTER I: RETURNING HOME **

** 10 years later **

** February 4, 2071 **

"Final stop. The Inner Sanctum. Everybody out!"

After the bus driver made his announcement, the sole remaining passenger, a black haired young man sleeping at the far end of the bus stirred and slowly opened his dark red eyes. Shifting his head slightly to the right, he gazed out the window and saw a myriad of uniformed people traversing a small plaza. After an eight hour long plane ride, a four hour bus ride that included half a dozen transfers, he had finally reached his destination of Anagura, a small town in the region formally known as Japan.

He grabbed his blue duffel bag resting by his feet, flung it over his shoulders and made his way to the front. The driver got a glimpsed of the young man's clothes as he walked by before calling out to him.

"You with Fenrir?" The driver then noticed the large red armlet adorning the young man's left wrist. "As a God Eater?"

The young man glanced at the aging bus driver who looked like he had his own fair share of depressing and sad memories. The young man nodded. While wearing black combat pants, boots and a white coat over a black collar shirt, it wasn't very difficult to identify his affiliation. People could've figured him to be part of the normal military, but the wolf emblem, Fenrir's symbol that was plastered on the back of his coat had indicated otherwise. Particularly the red armlet on his wrist revealed his status as a God Eater, special soldiers of Fenrir that specialized in defeating the Aragami monsters who had quickly became enemies of mankind within a few years of their appearance.

"I haven't seen you before so...new recruit?" The driver asked. "If it isn't too late, then I advise against joining. That's dangerous work. You're just going to waste your only life. And you're still so young. I know that it's a bleak world, but you have other options, you know. Even if the benefits conferred to you God Eaters sound enticing, it isn't worth it all."

The young man looked past the open gate leading to the Outer Ghetto and saw a few laughing children playing with a large red ball on the streets. Through their dirt covered faces, he could see that they were happy and unburdened by the problems of the world. He then turned back to the driver and looked him straight in the eye.

"Do you _really_ mean that? About me skipping out on my duties as a God Eater?"

The driver had followed the young man's gaze and saw where he had been looking. The driver frowned and took off his black driver's cap before scratching his bald head in embarrassment. "I guess not. But I truly do want you to stay alive however. It's just that I know the world needs people like you. It's for the sake of ordinary people like me and for them as well." He gestured toward the children who were now running around playing tag. "I become torn each time I drop off a new recruit and I never see him or her again. I always wonder if it's a fair price to pay, the lives of the God Eaters in place of our lives. I'm not sure, but at the very least, I feel like I should try to persuade a new recruit from walking down such a difficult path in life. Even if that means one less person to protect us from the Aragami."

"Duly noted. But I'm still going to continue. I chose this path on my own free will and I intend to walk as far as I can." The young man stepped off the bus and took a few steps before he turned around again. "Don't worry, I'm not going to die that easily." Without looking back, he walked away and toward the massive gray building at the end of the path.

"I better see you again!" The driver shouted.

As the young man continued down the path, he observed his surroundings that included many well constructed shiny buildings. It wasn't a majestic place by any means, but it was luxurious in comparison to the small towns and villages he passed through on the way here. Anagura, or at least the inner area was quite appealing in aesthetics and appearance because of its brightly painted colors. This was a substantial improvement from when he was here nine years ago where it wasn't very different from the outer area called the Outer Ghetto, which surrounded this inner sanctum. Maybe that was why he didn't feel a hint of nostalgia that he'd expected.

When he was within a few dozen feet of his destination, a large monument caught his interest in the corner of his eye. It was an erected cement wall that served as a memorial for people that had fallen in battle. Posted on the wall were dozens of pictures, a few he'd known and many more he didn't. Nine years was certainly a long time.

A slight shiver ran through his body after he entered the building's glass double doors. The temperature outside was probably in the nineties, but it was at least twenty degrees cooler inside. Most of the destroyed world had lived in poor living conditions so electricity, water, and heat were used sparingly. Many of the few places that had any semblance of luxury were those facilities that were connected to Fenrir, the organization that rose to the height of its power and becoming the world's de facto leader when it developed technology to counteract the Aragami. The headquarters for the Far East Branch was no exception.

He was in what appeared to be the lobby of the branch's headquarters which was called the "Den" because most of the facilities were located underground that stretched across the town. The air was cool and filled with a pleasant sweet aroma mixed with the blood, sweat and tears of the Fenrir employees. To his immediate right and left were two small sitting areas with comfortable soft looking sofas, coffee tables and two large screen television sets in each corner that were currently displaying the local news. A man in a blue business suit had looked up from his newspaper when the young man entered, but then quickly returned to his article.

The other people in the lobby paid him little attention and dressed as he was, believed that he was just another Fenrir employee. They continued as they were, chattering amongst themselves and moving from one place to another.

He continued moving deeper into the lobby until he saw a receptionist's desk at the center, surrounded by two large sets of stairs that ascended a few feet to the upper area.

The red haired receptionist, a young girl in her mid to late teens smiled at him when she saw him approaching the desk. It was a warm and sincere smile that could have melted many frozen hearts, hardened by countless battles. She wore a black vest over a white sleeveless garb that ended at her knees like a skirt. She dressed like a typical receptionist that could've been found at any of the few existing grand hotels.

"Welcome to Fenrir's Far East Branch, how may I help you?" She politely asked.

"I'm Yuu Kannagi and I'm being expected," he curtly replied.

"Kannagi-san is it? Please give me a moment." She tapped a few keys and then scrolled down the list that had loaded on her monitor. "Yuu Kannagi...I've found it. Tsubaki Amamiya-san is awaiting your arrival. I'll send word to her right away." She gestured toward the sofas on the southeast corner of the room. "Please have a seat. She'll be with you momentarily. If you need something, please don't hesitate to ask me. My name is Hibari Takeda."

"Understood," Yuu replied with a slight nod.

"Hiya Hibari-chan." A young man suddenly appeared next to Yuu and propped an elbow on the counter. "Another beautiful day isn't it?"

"Good afternoon, Tatsumi-san," Hibari greeted and flashed a smile at the cheerful young man. "Did you just return from a mission?"

"Yeah, it was fortunately a simple mission so I was able to head back sooner than expec-" The young man stopped talking when he noticed Yuu standing nearby, silently watching the both of them with curiosity. "Oh, didn't see you there. And who might you be?"

"This is Yuu Kannagi-san, he's a new member of the Far East Branch starting today," Hibari introduced.

The young man noticed the red armlet. "A God Eater, huh?" He held a hand out to Yuu. "Nice to meet you, I'm Tatsumi Omori."

Yuu shook his hand. "Likewise."

"Do you know which unit you're assigned to?"

"Not yet."

"Is that so? Well, I'm the leader of the 2nd Unit. Hopefully you get assign to my unit because it looks like you're quite capable." Tatsumi quickly looked over Yuu's appearance. "How old are you by the way?"

"20."

"Really? You look a lot older with the way you're frowning." Tatsumi laughed at his own joke. "Well, I'm 23, but I've been often told that I look young for my age."

Yuu could understand why. Tatsumi had short black hair and a very cheerful face. He wore a red jacket over an orange t-shirt, white khakis, red and gray sneakers which altogether gave Tatsumi a young teenage appearance. Yuu's thoughts were interrupted when he heard Hibari's sudden giggling.

"What is it?" Tatsumi asked.

"I just realize that you both look alike and could be mistaken as brothers," she explained.

"Do we?" Tatsumi stood next to Yuu.

Hibari giggled again. "Yes."

The two young men were physically similar in some regards. They both had short black hair, were of similar height, and build. Tatsumi essentially looked like a happier and more cheerful version of Yuu.

Tatsumi shook his head even though he didn't look annoyed at the very least. "Anyway, I gotta head back to my room now and write up the report. It's nice meeting you Kannagi, I'll catch you later." He waved his hand and headed up the stairs before disappearing from their sights.

Yuu walked over to the sofas, dropped his duffel bag and sat down, stretching his tired legs. Feeling fatigue washing over his body, he closed his eyes and intended to catch a quick nap. It didn't last long however as someone came over and interrupted his rest.

"Hi, may I sit here?"

Yuu opened his eyes and saw a young teenage boy with a yellow woolen cap over his orange hair and a gray scarf covering his neck. He wore a yellow sleeveless shirt that divided midway, exposing his midriff. His bottoms consisted of long orange shorts and sneakers.

"Sure," Yuu replied and moved over to make some room.

"Thanks." The teenager plopped down onto the sofa as if his legs had lost all energy. "I've been here for a while now. I was walking around the area, exploring actually as I waited to take the Aptitude Test to become a God Eater. The receptionist, Hibari-san told me that you were a new member here and since I didn't know anyone, I thought I'd wait with you. Since we're in similar positions, right?"

Yuu frowned after listening to the teenager's unusually high pitch voice.

"I'm Kouta Fujiki, what's your name?"

"...Yuu Kannagi." He murmured after realizing that Kouta's voice remained relatively loud and unnatural.

"So Kannagi-san, did you always wanted to be a God Eater? I always did." Kouta suddenly looked away, feeling a little embarrassed. "But well, the truth is that I just liked the perks that came with the job. My father died when I was young and then it was just me, my little sister and my mother. We were happy for the most part, but we didn't have much money or anything of much value. With the Aragami becoming such dangerous threats, we moved closer to the Far East Branch for protection and stayed at the Outer Ghetto. Life is tough out there so I want to help improve my family's lives."

Yuu stared in amazement at Kouta who had just spilled his entire life story to a stranger that he had just met.

"Do you always act so friendly with everyone you meet?"

"Huh? N-no. I'm a friendly person in general, but I usually don't talk _that_ much. It's just when I get nervous, I deal with it by constantly talking. Hahahaha." Kouta's legs were restless, quickly moving up and down like a jackhammer.

"Why are you nervous?"

"You know I'm waiting to take the Aptitude Test, right. I heard that if you don't match with the God Arc, then you'll die on the spot. I guess the thought just scares me."

"Well, that may be true, but the chance that you'll be a match is very likely. Even though Fenrir is short on God Eaters, they won't summon any possible candidate until they are quite certain that he will match with the God Arc. With the new recent change in policy, it's been a few years since the last reported fatality by the Aptitude Test so you don't have to worry."

Kouta jumped off his seat. "Really! That's great to hear! Thanks for the reassurance, Kannagi-san." He forcefully took Yuu's hand and shook it before Yuu quickly pulled it back. Kouta sat back down after letting out a large sigh of relief.

"Don't think that this'll be the last time that you'll fear for your life. This is something that is expected of ever-" Yuu stopped in mid-sentence when a woman called out to them.

"Fujiki and Kannagi?"

The pair stood up and faced a woman wearing white pants and a long sleeved collar shirt that exposed a good portion of her voluptuous chest. Her long black hair covered part of her right eye creating a secretive and mysterious appearance. She raised her right arm and wrote down something on her pad, showing the black armlet on her wrist.

"I'm Tsubaki Amamiya," she introduced with a frown. "That'll be Captain Amamiya to the both of you. I'm the supervisor for Units 1 through 3 and since you both will be part of the 1st Unit, I'll be your superior officer and will answer to me. Is that understood?"

"Yes!" They replied.

"Good. For now, Fujiki will be heading downstairs in preparation for the Aptitude Test." Tsubaki made eye contact with an employee passing by. "This young man will be taking the Aptitude Test. Please take him down to the research lab."

"Yes ma'am." The employee gestured toward the stairs. "This way."

"O-Okay." Kouta went up the stairs and to the elevator on the left.

"Kannagi, come with me," Tsubaki ordered before walking up the stairs and headed toward the elevator at the end of the building.

Yuu quickly followed after her. They took the elevator and got off two floors above. After briskly passing through a hall, they entered a room that appeared to be Tsubaki's office. There was a large desk at the end with a computer along with some small framed photographs on top. Other than a few file cabinets, there wasn't any other notable objects in the room.

"Sit," she ordered after sitting down at her desk.

He sat down on a brown leather chair and for a while, the two stared at each other without a word. They didn't seemed to be bothered by the heavy tension created by their silence. It was Tsubaki who eventually broke the silence.

"It's been a while."

"Yes it has."

"I've heard many stories about your accomplishments and successes at headquarters. People say that you're quite capable now. Headquarters wanted you to lead the 8th Unit here, a special team that we're in the midst of preparing. However, I'm assigning you to the 1st Unit instead. Not as a leader, but just as an ordinary unit member. I've received permission from the Director." After noticing that he was unfazed by the announcement, she asked him, "You're not surprised?"

"No. I didn't think you'd be so willing to trust me now despite what I've done in the past."

"You've grown more sensible and logical," she commented with a brief smile. "But yes, the _incident_ is still fresh in my mind even though many years had gone by and only a small number of people here still remembers. Because of that, I wouldn't feel right placing you in a leadership position even though you are qualified. We don't quite trust you...yet."

"I understand. I'll leave it to your judgment."

"I see...Then one last question. Will you be _okay_ now?"

He didn't reply immediately and instead, unconsciously reached into his pocket and wrapped his fingers around a small steel case. "I believe so."

"I sincerely hope so. It would be a shame to leave you as an ordinary member so quickly prove yourself and make us forget about that time."

"...I will."

She stood up. "Here are your orders, 1st Lieutenant Kannagi. First, you will report to Director of Fenrir's Far East Branch, Johannes von Schicksal. Next you will meet with Chief Supervisor of Fenrir Far East Branch Aragami Technology Department, Paylor Sakaki. Then head to the God Arc Maintenance Unit to check your God Arc's condition. Afterwards, meet with Dr. Elena Thompson for a health check up. Finally, you will join 1st Unit leader, 1st Lieutenant Lindow Amamiya on a mission."

"So he's the 1st Unit leader now?" Yuu asked. "That's surprising." His lips slightly rose into a half grin.

"Yes, he succeeded my position after I retired. He isn't perfect." Tsubaki shook her head as an irritable expression crossed her face. "But he is quite capable when the situation calls for it. Any other questions?"

"No."

"Then you may leave. I assume you remember how to get to your destinations?"

"I believe I do." Yuu got up and after making a quick salute, he left the room and took the elevator up one floor. After reaching the door at the end of the hallway, he knocked on it.

"Enter," a man replied from inside the room.

Similar to Tsubaki's office, the Director's office didn't have many notable personal furniture. The primary difference is that it's much bigger than the offices assigned to the Unit Supervisors. At least twice as large.

Toward the end of the room behind a very polished wooden brown desk was a well groomed blond haired man in a large white coat. His expression was very serious and business like as he wrote down a few things on the document in front of him. When he was done, he looked up and motioned Yuu to sit down.

"I've been waiting for you, Kannagi. I hope that there weren't any problems on your way here."

"I have no complaints."

"Good to hear that." Johannes placed the document on top of a stack of papers. "I'm going to skip with the formalities that I usually have with newcomers because we've already gone through this process once, haven't we?"

"That's correct. Back when I first joined this branch."

"What happened back then was very misfortunate and I don't want any repeated mishap during your stay. Don't expect me to be as lenient as I did back then. Do you understand."

"Of course."

Johannes' face then lightened up. "With that being said, during the few times I returned to headquarters, I heard great things about you. I think I speak for most people here when I say that we still have high expectations for you. Even more so than when you first stepped through that door all those years ago. You helped stabilized the region over there so I think you could do the same here. Luckily, the importance of the Aegis Project had allowed me to transfer you back to this branch." Johannes leaned back into his chair and crossed his arms. "Have you heard about it? The Aegis Project?"

"It's the project to create a massive facility that is completely self-reliant in terms of production and consumption, right? I think most people in Fenrir has heard about it."

"You are indeed correct. It's a project that began since the founding of Fenrir and it's intended to provide a place where people could live free of dangers by using durable Aragami Armor as protection. The facility is being built on Aegis Island, a few miles from here. A few of your duties will include protecting the island as well as acquiring materials for the facility's development."

"May I ask when would the project be completed?"

Johannes slightly grunted and closed his eyes. "...Soon is all I can say."

"I see."

"Well unless you have any other questions, that'll be all, Kannagi."

"I don't."

"Then I look forward to working with you once more." Johannes walked up to Yuu and shook his hand.

After excusing himself, Yuu took the elevator back to the lobby. He then entered the same elevator that Kouta had used a few minutes ago and descended one floor down. This area was filled with many researchers in white lab coats who shot him a few curious gazes and quietly whispered amongst themselves. No doubt they too had heard about his arrival.

When Yuu had reached the end of the hallway, he saw the door to Paylor Sakaki's office was laid wide opened for all to see. From his initial observations, there was no sign of anybody inside the room. Instead he saw countless paper strewn on the floor with some stacked into large messy piles. Then he heard someone faintly snoring behind the desk so he intentionally cleared his throat in a loud and somewhat obnoxious manner.

Whoever was behind the desk, had woken up with a start. A head full of messy hair rose up from the desk, revealing his face a moment later. The man scanned the room and was somehow able to locate Yuu through his apparent closed eyelids. His mouth opened wide before he quickly scampered out of the desk and ran up to Yuu. Unlike the other researchers at Fenrir, Paylor chose to wear a dark brown kimono to work instead of the white lab coats.

"Ah, my favorite God Eater," Paylor greeted as he took Yuu's hand and shook it.

"I'm still the favorite?" Yuu asked and then joked, "I would've thought you had found a new favorite by now."

"I'll always have a soft spot for the first discovered New-Type. Although, this is largely because headquarters continues to neglect the Far East in regards to New-Types. So I don't have any other speci-, I mean individuals to collect data from. So you're my favorite by default." Paylor walked back to his desk and sat down while Yuu remained standing because there weren't any other seats in the room.

"It seemed like you haven't change much, professor." Yuu noticed that Paylor didn't really age much since the last time he saw him. He should have been in his forties by now, but instead looked like he was in his early thirties.

"Well _you_ certainly have. I've been keeping track of your progress so I could measure your development throughout the years." Paylor slapped the desk excitedly with his right palm. "Remarkable is what I would call it. I'm not surprised because I always believed your potential was limitless. It's such a shame that you couldn't develop your abilities while you were here. I would have liked to view first hand the abilities of a New-Type. Honestly, these past few years have been _dreadful_. There weren't any large developments in God Eaters or Aragami so all I could do was to roam around and find something to occupy my time...Well, there is something I've been working on that is rather interesting."

"What is it?"

"I'm afraid it'll take some time for an explanation so I'll leave it for another time. But now..." Paylor got back on his feet and guided Yuu to the door. "I believe a new God Eater will be joining this branch and that he's currently taking the Aptitude Test."

"You mean Fujiki?"

"Is that his name? Well, I don't really care because he is just another Old-Type. But how about going down and taking a look? We might see something interesting."

"It's fine. It's on the way to the maintenance unit."

"Oh? Are you going to check your God Arc? I think I'll join you. Fufufufu."

The two took the elevator down one floor. As the doors slid opened, they walked into a large room with a massive glass screen at the end. Paylor greeted a few of the researchers standing nearby before the two took their positions and peered down the screen, observing the soon to begin Aptitude Test.

The room below where they were standing was even larger than the observation deck and just as empty but for the large metal contraption in the center. There was also a large object that appeared to be a huge gun with a long barrel. A moment later, the doors opened and a nervous Kouta entered, noticeably rubbing his right shoulder.

"It looks like the boy is still feeling the P53 Bias Factor injection," Paylor commented. "Hopefully we could someday forgo this step to create God Eaters. But for now, this injection of Aragami cells is still needed for the God Eaters to wield the God Arcs."

An unseen person then announced from a speaker, "God Eater candidate Kouta Fujiki, please approach the table in the center for the Aptitude Test."

Yuu could see Kouta take a nervous gulp before slowly walking toward the contraption.

"Lay your right arm flat down and grip the God Arc's handle," the announcer ordered.

Kouta placed his arm down on the circular indentation and held onto the large object. He tried to calm his breathing as the contraption's lid descended and covered his arm. The contraption rumbled and he instantly winced in pain.

"Do you remember how it felt when you took the Aptitude Test?" Paylor asked Yuu.

"Even though it's been nine years, I still remember that sharp pain that coursed through my body. It felt...strange, almost liked I was changing..."

"The Aptitude Test certainly is an interesting procedure. The feeling created from the bonding of God Eater to God Arc seems to be indescribable."

The metal lid then lifted from Kouta's arm, revealing a newly created red armlet on his wrist that was near identical to the one Yuu wore.

"How do you feel?" The announcer asked.

Kouta rotated his wrist and moved his right arm back and forth. "I feel fine."

"Excellent, now take your God Arc."

He grabbed the gun's grip without hesitation and waved the God Arc in the air, surprised by how light it was despite its large size.

"Kouta Fujiki, you are now a God Eater. Please head back to the maintenance room to check the God Arc's condition. Then head to the infirmary for your own health check."

With a smile on his face, he quickly left the room.

"It seems like that young man's demeanor had changed in a split moment, didn't he?" Paylor said. "He was initially full of nerves and now he doesn't look like he could be any happier. Is it because of the newly created bond with his God Arc or is it because of the Aragami cells' injection?"

"I doubt it's either because that's probably just how his character is."

"Is that right? How disappointing. In any case, it's about time we head down to the maintenance lab ourselves."

The two returned to the elevator and descended another floor. After passing a few doors on the floor, they arrived at the maintenance lab that was full of various machinery that Yuu knew had played some role in developing and fixing God Arcs. The members of the maintenance team all wore gray jumpsuits as they hunched over the machines, engrossed with whatever they were currently working on and remained oblivious to their presence.

Paylor moved to a large table on the right and tapped the shoulder of a short dark silver haired teenage girl wearing the same uniform as the others.

"Ah, Sakaki-san, what are you doing down here?" She asked after being a bit startled by the sudden contact.

Paylor grinned. "I've brought someone special."

"Someone special?" She noticed Yuu who was hovering nearby and focusing on the large black God Arc blade displaying on the table. "So he's the rumored New-Type?" Her eyebrows rose in surprise.

"Correct. An old..."He paused, trying to find the right word.

"Acquaintance of mine."

The girl took off her dirty brown gloves and held a hand out to Yuu. "Ricca Kusunoki, a mechanic at your service."

Yuu shook her small yet rough hand. "Yuu Kannagi, God Eater. Are you the one who handled the maintenance for my God Arc?" He gestured to the large black blade.

"That's right. I admit, I was excited at the chance to examine such a rare weapon." She beamed with delight.

Yuu ran a hand over his God Arc. "You did good in its maintenance." Before he left for the Far East, his God Arc was in poor condition as a result of many continuous battles.

"Thank you. I spent all day yesterday fixing it."

"Kusunoki-kun, what can you tell me about this New-Type God Arc," Paylor asked.

"Hmmm, let's see...First, its appearance is similar to the other God Arcs. However, upon closer inspection, I noticed that this God Arc was made of a higher quality material than the others which could explain the sharper blade and stronger durability."

"Excellent observation, Kusunoki-kun!" Paylor applauded. "New-Type God Arcs are made from special Aragami cores that provide better performance. It isn't just the ability of changing weapon forms that makes the New-Type God Arcs special, but also the all around better quality weapon. And...there might even be other unique characteristics that we're still not aware of at this time." Paylor smiled knowingly at Yuu who just shrugged his shoulders.

"I have a mission in a few minutes so is the maintenance completed?" Yuu asked.

"Just a few touch ups here and there and it'll be done," Ricca replied. "It'll be ready for you in the garage after a few minutes."

Yuu nodded. "Then I'll take my leave now."

"Don't wait up for me, I'm going to stay here and chat with Kusunoki-kun for a while longer," Paylor called out.

Yuu left the room and proceeded down a series of hallways that would have became confusing to a first time visitor. On the way to the elevator, he passed through various equipment rooms filled with weapons and armor for non-God Eater personnel. In no time, he had reached the dormitory section that was located on the east side of the Den. There were a few young people who were likely God Eaters hanging around in the area.

He pressed the up button on the elevator that connected to the one on the east side of the lobby. The doors slid open and a girl with short pink hair appeared, smiling at him. Her seemingly kind and innocent looks along with her attractive smile likely made her popular amongst the young males.

"Which floor?" She asked after Yuu boarded the elevator.

"B1."

She pressed a button that closed the doors. "So you're a God Eater." Her gaze was directed at Yuu's armlet. "New member?"

"Yeah."

"I'm a God Eater too." She raised her right arm to show her armlet. "I'm a member of the 2nd Unit. What about you?"

"1st Unit."

"Lindow-san's unit. I should have expected that because many new members are initially placed in his unit. I'm Kanon Daiba by the way."

"Yuu Kannagi."

"You don't speak much, do you?"

"Nope."

Kanon giggled and maintained her attractive smile. "That's okay. Most of the male God Eaters here are very chatty so it's nice to have someone who is more quiet."

"Is that so?"

The elevator stopped moving once it reached B1.

"I'll see you later then, Kannagi-kun." Kanon waved her hand after Yuu stepped out of the elevator. When he reached the room labeled, "Infirmary", he knocked on the door.

"Coming," a voice called from inside. The door opened and a woman with long blond hair wearing a white doctor's coat appeared. "Yes? How may I help you?"

"I'm Yuu Kannagi and I was told to come here."

"Kannagi? Oh right. Please come in."

The office had a computer and various charts and diagrams at the front. It was likely the doctor's workstation. At the end were a dozen white beds, all currently empty.

"Please have a seat," the doctor said.

He sat down on a round stool.

"I'm Dr. Elena Thomson," she greeted as she scanned the contents inside a vanilla folder, which were probably his medical records. "I've been a member of Fenrir for several years now, two of them is with the Far East Branch."

As she was introducing herself, Yuu observed her closely and believed that she was somewhere in her late twenties. If she had been a doctor for several years already then she was likely very intelligent and capable.

"How much do you know about my medical records?" He asked as he made calculations on how much he should divulge.

Elena stopped reading the contents and looked at him with a serious expression. "I know that you were a member of this branch at age 11 which lasted for only a year. I also know about the _incident_ and your subsequent transfer to headquarters. Your training, your development and your power. I know _all_ of it...At least I think so."

Yuu had on a complicated expression. On one hand, he felt completely exposed as if she could completely read him like a book. On the other hand, he felt some sort of relief knowing that he could depend on her should the need arise.

"I see..."

"I'm just a normal medical doctor so when I received your information..." She leaned back in her chair and breathed out a sigh. "I was taken aback and wondered what was going to happen to me now. Well, you don't have to worry about me telling people about your secrets. Doctor-patient confidentiality, right?" She winked and gave him what she hoped to be a trustworthy smile.

"Thanks. Headquarters trusted you with the confidential matter so I don't think you're in any danger if that's what you meant."

She nodded. "As a doctor, I'll just say one thing. Don't overdo it."

"Of course."

"Good. But I think we should move on to a more positive note, shall we?" She resumed reading his medical records. "Your physical statistics are outstanding and far exceed the others in this branch. There isn't a problem in that regard. However..." She eyed him suspiciously. "I know the records don't say it, but do you take any physical enhancement drugs?"

"None at all."

"Really?" Her eyes grew wide in surprise. "To think you would reach your level naturally. Simply amazing. Not only are your physical statistics great, but your mental statistics are generally just as good, other than that one significant flaw that is. Which leads me to the question, what about your medication? Is it effective for it?"

"Yes. They work perfectly fine."

"That's good to hear. We don't want a repeat of the incident here now do we?"

"No we don't." He mumbled.

"Then there isn't much else to talk about. Let me just take some rudimentary tests." She placed two fingers on the bottom of his wrist and checked his pulse. Then she took a stethoscope and listened to his heartbeat. "Everything checks out so you're good to go. Good luck with your mission."

His last stop was the garage which was on the same floor, but on the western side of the Den. It had a ramp that lead outside to the rear of the building. When he arrived, he opened the steel door and entered a large partially lit room filled with various automobiles ranging from armored vehicles to trucks.

"Yuu, over here," a voice called out from the shadows. As if on cue, the lights turned on one by one and a man appeared, his arms crossed and his face grinning. Wearing an opened black coat with the sleeves rolled up, dark gray combat pants and boots, he was clearly dressed for battle.

It didn't take long for Yuu to identify the man because of the dark hair that had covered one of his eye, very similar in style to his older sister.

"Lindow," Yuu confirmed.

"The one and only," Lindow replied as he took out a cigarette and lit it.

"I see you haven't changed."

"Thanks."

"That wasn't a compliment."

"Ouch." Lindow winced as if he was in pain.

"Congratulations on making unit leader."

"I hope _that_ was a compliment." Lindow said, walking over to Yuu and placing an arm over his shoulder. "Why are you acting so distant? I remember all those years ago you used to chase me around calling out "Lindow-nii, Lindow-nii."

Admittedly, Yuu found it surprising at how familiar Lindow was acting despite the years that had gone by. "You never change," he whispered, a faint smile forming on his lips.

"What was that?"

Yuu shook off Lindow's arm. "Keep the smoke away from me and how about providing me with the mission details?"

Lindow took a whiff of his cigarette before he said, "A simple Aragami execution mission ten miles away. Nothing too difficult, mostly Ogretails and Zygotes. A typical mission for entry level God Eaters. I know that doesn't really apply to you, but I want to see what you are now capable of."

Yuu sighed. "Alright, when do we begin?"

"Now." Lindow raised an arm and they heard the sounds of moving gears. The large garage doors opened and a new wave of light pierced the room. A person had started up the nearby truck and then waved at them.

"Hey Lindow, I'm ready when you are."

"That's Ogata-san, a driver for Fenrir," Lindow explained. "Come on."

Yuu followed Lindow and jumped onto the back where he noticed his God Arc was resting near Lindow's red God Arc.

"You got the directions?" Lindow asked Ogata who replied with a thumbs up. "Okay, let's go!" The truck lurched forward before it slowly drove out of the Far East Branch and onto the main road.

The two God Eaters didn't exchange many words as they traveled to their destination. Yuu watched absently at the scenery and reminded himself that he was now back in the Far East, his homeland. Sadly, there wasn't anything beautiful or eye catching at what he saw. Lots of dirt, rocks, and ruins of once great boisterous cities that were now buried in heavy rubble and dirt.

"Is the Far East still the same as you once remembered?" Lindow asked.

"Almost exactly," Yuu sadly replied.

"I don't know about the other parts of the world, but redevelopment here is moving at a snail's pace. All of our efforts seem to be placed in the Aegis Project lately."

After a moment of silence, Yuu asked, "You're not going to ask me how it was over at headquarters?"

"I was until I saw you. It doesn't look like you're going to tell me much anyway."

"True."

Lindow chuckled. "Hey, did you know Sakuya is now a God Eater? She's actually the sub-commander of the 1st Unit."

"I knew from her emails."

"So you did receive them. Sakuya was worried that she got the address wrong. She'll be pissed once she knows that you just didn't bother replying."

Yuu didn't say anything in response and instead allowed the silence to fill the distance between them.

"We're here," Ogata announced as the truck came to a sudden stop. "I'll just wait here as usual while you guys do what you do best."

Lindow threw his burnt out cigarette onto the ground, picked up his God Arc and jumped off. "Let's make this quick and get back."

Yuu grabbed his God Arc and followed after Lindow. They soon walked into a wide opened field and could clearly see all of the Aragami in the vicinity. Just as Lindow had said, there were only Ogretails and Zygotes. The Orgretails were two legged brown beasts with a large heavy white tail. Standing at above 6 feet, their mouths were big enough to swallow a child whole. As for the Zygotes, they appeared to be flying silver skinned women carrying a large black egg on their backs. The egg had one big eyeball that served as the Aragami's vision. Judging by the distance, the God Eaters were about 50 feet away from the Aragami who have yet to notice their presence.

"Yuu, listen up," Lindow ordered. "You will defeat all of them by yourself without any help from me."

"Are you serious?" Yuu asked, a hint of irritation registering on his face.

"Yup, dead serious." Lindow sat down on a stump that used to be part of a massive tree. "I'll be completely defenseless so my life is in your hands." To make his point, he tossed his God Arc faraway into a bush and lit another cigarette before he whistled loudly, getting the attention of the Aragami.

As they converged on their position, Yuu glanced at Lindow and realized that his defenses were in fact completely down and that he had no desire whatsoever to do anything.

"Better do something before I get eaten," Lindow joked.

"Tch." Yuu clicked his tongue and turned his attention to the approaching Aragami. A dozen Ogretails and a dozen Zygotes. It'd take about a minute before they reached Lindow. Luckily for Yuu, they weren't tough Aragami and are easily disposable. First, he had to take down the flying Zygotes because they could discharge poisonous gas over a large area. Changing his God Arc into a gun with a six foot long barrel, called the Assault gun type that was capable of a high rate of fire, he took quick aim and fired.

The large bullet struck the nearest Zygote dead center and knocked it onto the ground, its body twitching a bit before its life ended. He continued the process with rapid fire shots, one after another, until he swiftly dispatched the remaining Zygotes. 12 out of 14 shots had hit their targets in 25 seconds.

Lindow whistled approvingly. "Great shots, keep it up."

By now, the Ogretails were already within a few feet and getting ready for their attack so Yuu changed his God Arc back to blade form, charged forward and sliced an Ogretail in half with one clean cut. Next, he swept the area in a large circular motion and killed two more Ogretails.

The remaining Ogretails seemed to have lost all interest in Lindow and instead focused all of their attention on their quiet killer. Three Ogretails simultaneously leapt at Yuu and unsuccessfully tried to bit his arm off.

He'd jumped a few steps backward to evade before countering with a cut to an Ogretail's feet, slicing it off. After the Ogretail fell with a loud roar, Yuu kept his momentum going by striking down the other two before finishing off the footless Ogretail. Just when he felt like he was making great progress, he soon found himself surrounded by the remaining six Ogretails. Their ability to organize was much better than he'd given to these simple minded monsters.

With all eyes glued to the lone God Eater, they slowly circled around their prey, growling hungrily with saliva dripping from their mouths as they waited for the right chance to attack. In the meantime, Yuu maintained his composure by slowly breathing in and out and getting his body to quickly move at the point of attack. The standstill came to an end when the apparent pack leader, howled and charged while the others followed its example.

Waiting until the last second, he quickly leapt over an Ogretail and cut its back opened in the process which sent the Ogretails into a state of confusion and panic. With their formation in disarray, he took advantage of the situation and proceeded to finish them off. They fell one by one in a flash until there was only a single one remained. However, the final one had disappeared from his sight.

He looked left and right and couldn't find any trace of it. After taking a second to concentrate on its presence, he turned around and saw it on a direct course to Lindow who watched the approaching Ogretail with little concern as if he was merely watching a show on television.

Even though he was confident in his own shooting accuracy, he instead chose to engage the Ogretail in close quarters because of the small chance of shooting Lindow. Time was quickly running out for him as the Ogretail was within normal shooting distance of Lindow. He needed a lot of speed so he dropped his God Arc, reducing the weight and ran with all his might to catch up.

The Ogretail was fast, but he was faster as he'd reached the Ogretail when it was about a feet away from Lindow. With one final push of his legs, he lunged and grabbed the Ogretail's legs which knocked both of them down. Their bodies intertwined as a result of the momentum.

After rolling around together for the new few seconds, Yuu finally got back on his feet before the Ogretail and delivered a powerful roundhouse kick to its jaw. The force sent it sliding a few feet back, which in the meantime, Yuu had retrieved his God Arc. Once he was back within five feet of the Ogretail, it quickly spun its body in a full circular motion, whipping its large dangerous tail. However, he jumped over the attack in time and lobbed off the Ogretail's head. Dark red liquid gushed like a geyser from the round stump before the body fell down into a pool of its own blood.

"That better be the last one," Yuu said as he wiped his forehead. He then turned around to the sound of Lindow's enthusiastic clapping.

"That was amazing. Nothing like I've ever seen. You certainly came a long way from attacking Ogretails with a steel pipe. Once a rash hot headed young boy, now an efficient calculating and composed fighter. As expected of the one called _Red Eyes_."

"Are you mocking me? I don't call myself that you know."

Lindow grinned and then said, "Known for his dark piercing red eyes, the First New-Type is an unparalleled God Eater who can overcome any challenge." His grin suddenly grew wider. "If people knew that there was more to your red eyes then I'm sure your moniker would spread like wildfire."

"Don't," Yuu threatened in a menacing tone.

"I was just kidding."

Yuu sighed and shook his head. "Anyway, you better not pull of that stunt ever again. If you do, then expect different results from the one today. I don't want to save your ass when you're not helping at all."

"I won't, even though it's such a great opportunity for me to claim rewards without doing anything. Well, I think we should get back now. But before that, let's get the Aragami cores."

Yuu stepped over to an Ogretail's corpse and readied his God Arc. A dark shadowy beast's mouth appeared and devoured the corpse, spitting out a small steel object which was the Aragami's core. He and Lindow then split the work for the remaining ones and were finished in no time.

"Done already?" Ogata asked when he saw them returned. "That was quick."

"With two of the Far East's greatest God Eaters, it doesn't take long to finish a mission," Lindow replied.

Yuu mumbled something under his breath before climbing onto the back of the truck. The return trip was mostly quiet and peaceful so Yuu closed his eyes and rested his weary body. It had been a very long day for him.

Once they returned, they saw a group of people gathering near the garage entrance to meet them. The group included Tsubaki, Paylor, and a short black haired young woman wearing a dark top and sarong that covered one of her legs.

"Yo Sakuya, we're back." Lindow announced.

"You should have waited for me before you left on the mission," Sakuya protested.

Lindow halfheartedly replied, "Sorry about that, but I couldn't find where you were so..."

"Geez, I've should have known you'd say that." She then turned her attention to Yuu and gave him a heartwarming smile. "Welcome back, Yuu-kun."

Yuu looked at the people coming to welcome him back one by one until he was suddenly overtaken by a wave of nostalgia that he'd expected earlier. His lips rose into a half smile. "It's good to be back."


	2. The 1st Unit

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yuu is introduced to the remaining members of the current 1st Unit and they proceed with a new mission as a team.

** CHAPTER II: THE 1ST UNIT **

"So how was he?" Sakuya asked Lindow after he and Yuu returned from their mission. They were relaxing on the sofas in the lobby, watching a few Fenrir employees moving throughout the area.

"Hm..." Lindow stretched his arms wide across the sofa and tilted his head back so he was looking directly at the high ceiling. "He performed as expected. Strength, speed, skill...he has improved in each of those areas. But to what extent? I'm not sure. Can't really tell when his opponents are run of the mill Aragamis."

"I see. At least he didn't seem to have change too much."

"I guess."

"By the way, where is he anyway?" Sakuya scanned the vicinity for her old friend.

"Don't know. He just ran off somewhere as soon as we returned."

"Well, let's go find him. We have a lot of catching up to do, right?" She forcefully tugged his arm toward the front doors.

"You have any idea where he is?"

"I think I do," she replied with a smile.

* * *

The Outer Ghetto was the area where most of Anagura's citizens made their home. It was filled with many small, old, cracked run-down buildings that were all tightly packed to each other. With such cramped quarters and lacked of resources, the quality of life here wasn't great, but at least the children were lively, people had roofs over their heads, enough food to live on and a day by day job. Most importantly of all, they were safe from the Aragami. The Outer Ghetto itself was protected by a 20 foot high thick wall that was nearly impenetrable. With such benefits, the people here couldn't really complain knowing that they were still better off in comparison with most of the world.

"So it's still here." Yuu mumbled as he stood in front of a small restaurant with an old wooden sign that said, "Tatsumiya." From the window, the restaurant appeared empty, but for the lone old man behind the counter reading a newspaper. As he opened the door, a bell chimed that announced his presence.

"Welcome!" The old man greeted with great vigor after he put down the newspaper.

"I'm surprised that this place hasn't changed much even after all these years," Yuu commented as he observed the restaurant's interior. "Seriously though, you should really renovate."

"Ohhh! I heard from Lindow that you're coming back, but I didn't expect you to arrive so soon." The old man quickly walked up to Yuu and looked him up and down. "You certainly have grown quite a bit." He grinned as he stroked his scruffy gray beard. "Come, sit down."

"Thanks Masakaze, I will." Yuu sat down on a wooden stool at the counter. "I like to make an order."

"The usual?"

"Yes."

"Then one order of beef Udon, extra large and with an egg on top." As Masakaze began with the preparations, he asked, "Have you seen the others yet?"

"You mean Lindow, Sakuya and Tsubaki? Yeah, I already did. There still the same as I'd remembered."

Masakaze snorted. "And you should talk. Other than your physical appearance, you seemed to have not change much."

"You make it sound like that's a good thing," Yuu mumbled, staring absently outside the window. The sound of a sharp knife chopping the ingredients into many pieces filled the silence within the small shop. Only a few minutes had passed by when the order was completed.

"Here, hope it's still as great as before."

"Based on the smell, I don't think that'll be a problem," Yuu said as he took a large whiff of the Udon. After digging in, a myriad of strong spices danced on his tongue as he slurped the noodles. Drowning in its delicious taste, he didn't notice the two newcomers' presence until they were seated next to him.

"I knew I'd find you here," Sakuya said with a grin.

"Looks like you were right so I guess I owe you a drink," Lindow said, lightly shaking his head.

"Oh, if it ain't Sakuya and Lindow!" Masakazu exclaimed with delight. "Today feels like a long overdue reunion."

"We'll have the usual."

"Coming right up."

"How come you didn't stay and chat before you left?" Sakuya asked, pouting like a young school girl.

"I was a little tired when I got back so I just wanted to relax a bit before calling it a day."

Lindow laughed at his comment. "You're already tired? It's not like you." He lightly jabbed his shoulder."

"Even I get tired after a long flight, bus ride and a mission." Yuu said with a shrug.

"So how was headquarters?" Sakuya asked. "Give us the details."

"Nothing that great. Just a lot of drills, training, and back to back missions."

"That sounds very different from what we do here," Lindow commented. "We don't really have drills and we don't train much. Back to back missions are pretty rare. But I guess it's due to those differences that Europe is mostly stable. Was it a good decision for headquarters to send you back here knowing that it could cause the region to erupt into chaos again?"

"Doubt it. There are many talented God Eaters over there, many of which includes New-Types."

"Sounds like headquarters is pretty selfish keeping such a powerful force for their own use."

Yuu shrugged. "They're now planning on sending some of those talents across the world."

"Sorry for the wait," Masakazu apologized as he set down two bowls.

"No problem at all, Masakazu-san," Sakuya said. "We were just catching up so there's no rush."

"Thanks for the meal," Yuu said as he stood up and placed a few bills on the table.

"Leaving already?"

"Like I said, it's been a long day for me."

"I see," Masakazu said, sounding a bit disappointed. "Remember to stop by every now and then."

"Oh I just remembered," Lindow suddenly said. "Tsubaki-nee said to meet up at 9 A.M. We'll be introducing the team members."

"Got it," Yuu confirmed and then walked out of the shop.

* * *

When he returned to the Den, he picked up his key card from Hibari and rode the eastern elevator down to B2, the lodgings for the God Eaters with the exception of the Unit Leaders who were on B1. After swiping his keycard for room 22, the door slid opened revealing a small cozy windowless room. Well, there was a glass screen that would've shown only darkness behind it if it weren't for the sunset picture painted on it. In the corner was one bed and a wooden desk next to it. The center of the room had a small coffee table and a dark blue sofa overlooking it. People would be surprised that the highly "privileged" God Eaters lived in such ordinary rooms.

Another quick sweep of the room revealed a small pile of his luggage nesting behind the sofa. He kicked off his boots and eased himself into the sofa, relaxing his mind. After a moment of rest, he sifted through his belongings and dragged out a laptop, laying it on the desk. The laptop turned on with the press of a button and he immediately sent an email, a task he had to do before heading off to sleep.

* * *

** February 5, 2071 **

The meeting for the 1st Unit took place in a rather large room on the West Wing, B2. The other God Eater units also had their meetings on the same floor, but none of the others were apparently scheduled at this time.

After Yuu stepped through the door, he was greeted by Tsubaki.

"Good morning, Kannagi."

"Morning," he mumbled, taking a seat at the large conference table in the center. Other than that, there was a projector, a screen and a whiteboard. He felt like he was a businessman getting ready for a meeting.

"I heard that you were in the training room before arriving here," Tsubaki said, taking a seat at the end of the table. "For how long were you in there?"

"I started at six this morning. It's been part of my training regimen for some time now."

"That's quite impressive," she applauded. "I wish some other God Eaters or even unit leaders would learn a thing or two from you."

"What's this about learning from Yuu?" Lindow asked after he entered and yawned.

"We were talking about how _some_ people should take their training more seriously."

"Was that comment directed at me?" Lindow asked, pointing a finger to himself. "I do take my training seriously...at least when I feel like it."

Yuu could feel Tsubaki angrily rolling her eyes as the other members began to make their appearance.

"Morning everyone," Sakuya greeted.

"Morning Sakuya," Lindow replied with a wave.

"Sorry about that, Soma," a red haired young man said as he entered the room. He wore an opened red vest and sleeves, creating a very flamboyant appearance. His disinterested companion was a sullen light blond, dark skinned, young man wearing a yellow collar shirt and a blue hooded coat. The red haired young man then placed a hand on his companion's shoulder, but was immediately shrugged off.

"Just forget it," the companion grumbled. He gave one quick glance at Yuu before he sat down on a chair in the corner.

"What's wrong with Soma-kun?" Sakuya asked. "He looks irritated for some reason...well at least more than usual."

"I was running late to the meeting so as I ran down the hall, I accidentally crashed into him," the red haired young man explained, taking a seat at the table.

Everybody looked at the hooded young man who only grunted in reply.

"Um, I think this is the right place..." A person said from outside, clearly hesitant on entering.

"Come in, Fujiki," Tsubaki ordered.

"Ah, sorry about being late." Kouta made an apologetic bow. "I got lost so it took me a while to get here."

"That's fine. Now take a seat so we can begin."

"Y-Yes." Kouta quickly sat down next to Yuu.

"All 1st Unit members are now here so we'll start with introductions. 1st Lieutenant Lindow Amamiya is the unit leader."

"That's right, so you should both listen to my absolute orders," Lindow said before Sakuya slapped him in the back of the head. "Ow."

"The person keeping Lindow in check is Sergeant Major Sakuya Tachibana, also the unit's sub-leader."

"If you have any questions, then come ask me," Sakuya said.

Tsubaki motioned to the red haired young man. "Then we have Corporal Eric der Volgelweid."

"Please to meet you both. It's always nice to get more members." He flashed Yuu and Kouta a bright smile.

"Thank you, it's nice to meet you too," Kouta said.

"As for the one in the corner..." Tsubaki looked at the hooded young man. "He is Soma, a Sergeant."

"Don't mind his moody appearance, he's always like that," Sakuya added.

"I-I see..." Kouta said, feeling slightly nervous again.

"Now that the current members are introduced, we'll proceed with the newcomers. First is Kouta Fujiki, he just became an official God Eater yesterday."

"Hi! I may be inexperience, but I'll do my best to help you all out."

"Good, we're all counting on you. And now for the other newcomer..." She turned to face Yuu. "Well, he's not really a newcomer because he's actually a former member of this unit a few years ago. This is 1st Lieutenant, Yuu Kannagi."

"What!" Kouta quickly shot out of his seat like it was on fire. "You're a 1st Lieutenant?!"

"That's right," Yuu calmly replied.

"But you're so young. Just a little older than me."

"Other than Lindow, Kannagi has been a God Eater longer than anyone else in this unit and most of the ones at this branch," Tsubaki explained.

"Wow, I had no idea." Kouta fell back into his seat, still feeling shocked. "I should've treated you with more respect than I did when we talked yesterday."

"I don't really care about that." Yuu said, dismissing his concern.

"Did we also mentioned that Yuu is a New-Type?" Lindow added.

Kouta became speechless as his jaw dropped opened at the fact.

"Not just any New-Type, the _first_ New-Type."

Kouta's jaw dropped even lower than what was even thought possible.

Sakuya then elbowed Lindow in his side. "Stop doing that. Can't you see that you're just making things worst?"

"Sorry, I couldn't help myself." Lindow said as he held his stomach and laughed. "I think this unit's upcoming days will be quite entertaining."

Tsubaki loudly cleared her throat. "For those of you that don't know, Kannagi had been at Fenrir headquarters up until a few days ago and he's been brought back here to provide assistance in the fight against the Aragami. For reasons I don't want to get into, he is only a temporary member of the 1st Unit and will eventually lead the 8th Unit once we form it. Now, with that out of the way, we have a mission. It's not too difficult which will be perfect for Fujiki."

She took out a remote and pressed a button, turning on the projector. A map appeared along with several symbols and writing etched onto it.

"The mission will take place in the Iwaki forest which is situated at the base of the mountain with the same name. It's also several miles northeast of here. Data shows that Ogretails and a Kongou has made the area their home. There is a small village nearby so it's imperative that we finish this as soon as possible." She looked at each member. "Are there any questions?" When nobody said anything, she continued, "That is your mission. I'll leave the plan to your leader."

* * *

The team quickly suited up with their equipments and headed to the helicopter launch pad behind the Fenrir building. The Iwaki mountains were quite far so the team opted to travel by air. Lindow had explained earlier that he'll determine their course of action once they landed. While they were en-route to their destination, Yuu looked down at the all too familiar scenery, lost in the loud humming of the helicopter blades. He snapped back to reality when somebody tapped him on the shoulder.

"Hi, remember me from earlier?" Eric asked. "The truth is, I've actually wanted to meet you for quite a while now."

"Really? Why is that?"

"Well, I'm from the Volgelweid household. Does that name ring a bell?"

"Volgelweid?" Yuu searched his memories until he recalled something. "Ah, _that_ Volgelweid from Germany?"

"Yes, that one. Several years ago, our family was under attacked by Aragami when we were visiting headquarters and just when we thought we were done for, your team arrived and swiftly saved us from inevitable death. So, on behalf of my family, I offer you our thanks." He held a hand out to Yuu.

"That's unnecessary because I was just doing my job," Yuu said, declining to shake hands.

"No, you are very much a hero regardless of whether your actions are based on orders."

"Is that so?" Yuu sighed and shook Eric's extended hand when it didn't seem like he was going to give up any time soon. "That reminds me, aren't the Volgelweid very wealthy? You shouldn't have to worry about living a relatively relaxing life so why are you a God Eater?"

"Not everybody who became one did it for financial reasons and that includes me. I just wanted to give back to the world by saving and helping as many people as I could. Kind of like what you did."

_"If only you knew,"_ Yuu thought. "I'm surprised your father gave you permission to become one," he said, remembering the rumors about the Volgelweid's patriarch.

"Well not at first," Eric replied, becoming a little embarrassed. "But then he eventually thought that if I became a famous God Eater, I could boost the family's reputation and increase its influence. And because our family isn't well known in East Asia, I became a God Eater here rather than at the German Branch."

"So that's how it is," Yuu mused.

"By the way, did you ever feel homesick while you were at headquarters, Kannagi-san?"

"...A little bit," Yuu murmured.

"I kind of feel the same way, but it isn't too bad in my case." Eric's face instantly cheered up. "My adorable little sister is here with me so at least I have family. Want to see her picture?"

"No, not really-"

Eric took out a small picture from his wallet and nearly shoved it in Yuu's face. "Cute isn't she? Knowing that she'll greet me with a smile every time I return gives me motivation to survive even when the mission is dangerous." He continued to look at the photo and his expression suddenly became sad. Quite unusual based on Eric's cheerful demeanor just a few moments ago. "During your long career...have you seen many God Eaters' die in battle?"

"...I have."

The atmosphere between them then became heavy and silent. Yuu had a good idea why Eric asked that question. He probably should've said something more, but he knew that Eric had likely heard all of the usual responses. Instead, he took a pill from his small metal case and drunk it down with water. With the remaining time, he rested his eyes and listened to the small tidbits of dialogue between the other members until Lindow made an announcement.

"We're about to reach our destination so get ready."

The helicopter began to descend and in a minute, they were on solid land, at the mountain's base. There were many large trees surrounding the area which was going to hinder their vision as they trek through it. Even though it was barely noon, only a few sun rays pierced the darkness within from what he could see.

Behind him, Yuu could see several small buildings in the horizon that were likely part of the nearby village he'd heard during the briefing. About three to four miles he surmised.

"Okay, listen up," Lindow shouted and clapped his hands. "The plan will be the following: Sakuya and me will stay here while Yuu will lead the remaining members into the forest mountain. Listen to his orders because he's in charge."

"That's the grand plan you came up with during the long ride?" Soma scoffed. "Should've known better."

"Um, why are you and Tachibana-san-" Kouta began before he was interrupted by Sakuya.

"Just _Sakuya_ is fine," she said.

"Then, why are Sakuya-san and Amamiya-san staying behind?" He asked, noticeably trembling.

"Well, as you can see," Lindow gestured toward Sakuya's long slender rifle God Arc. "Sakuya is a sniper and the trees will be a hindrance for her to provide useful support. Plus, there are enough shooters taking part in the battle that would just be too chaotic in the area. As for me, I need to protect Sakuya and the pilots in case they get attack. But don't worry, I'll reach you guys in a flash if the situation becomes too dangerous. I doubt that the need would ever arise to such a level with only Ogretails and one Kongou, though. Also, just _Lindow_ is fine for me too."

Sakuya then began handing out several small devices to the team and green colored bullets to Kouta, Eric and Yuu.

"What are these?" Kouta asked.

"Communication devices and they're also embedded with a tracking device so we could maintain your locations. And these bullets are special healing bullets. When you shoot an ally with these bullets, it will accelerate their recovery rate, but it will not work on a mortal wound or any other serious injuries such as broken bones. Fenrir wants us to only use these bullets when necessary because they're expensive to make. If you're unsure of when the situation is _necessary_ , it's better to err on the side of caution."

"I see."

Showing Kouta how to wear the communication device, Yuu hooked the small black ear piece around his right ear and angled the mouth piece toward his face. A red light appeared indicating that it was working. When everyone looked like they were ready, he said ,"Let's go."

They journeyed into the large silent forest that every footsteps seemed to echo throughout the area. Before getting too far in, Yuu came to a stop and looked at the three members and their God Arcs. "Volgelweid, Soma, each of you to my sides. 10 feet apart."

"Roger," Eric confirmed, moving to Yuu's left side.

"Don't think you could just order me around just because you're a New-Type," Soma grumbled. "I do whatever I want." Despite his comment, he still moved to Yuu's right side, but much further than 10 feet.

"What about me, Kannagi-san?" Kouta asked.

Kouta's God Arc was the lighter Assault gun type similar to Yuu's gun form. The gun type was great at midrange as opposed to Sakuya's long range sniping.

"Have you practice shooting with your God Arc, yet?" Yuu asked.

"I did for a few hours after the Aptitude Test and a little bit this morning," Kouta admitted.

Taking into consideration Kouta's lack of experience, Yuu said, "Stay about 15-20 feet behind us. Also, support as necessary. The most important thing you should remember for now is friendly fire. Don't do it so take _very_ careful aim. Once the battle starts, it could become chaotic in this small area."

"O-Okay."

_"Don't worry, Kouta-kun, we're with you as well,"_ Sakuya reassured from Kouta's earpiece.

_"Yeah, and Soma, quit being a douchebag,"_ Lindow added.

"Hmph," Soma grunted in response.

The group ventured further into the forest, their boots crunching on small rocks and twigs. After what felt like an eternity, Yuu stopped and raised his right hand.

"What's wrong, Kannagi-san?" Eric asked.

"One Ogretail spotted," Yuu whispered.

The other members looked in the direction of Yuu's gaze and saw an Ogretail slowly walking across a small clearing. It didn't seemed to have noticed their presence, yet.

When he saw Soma took a few steps toward the Ogretail, Yuu stopped him. "Hold it for a moment."

"Tch." Soma clicked his tongue, but obeyed nonetheless.

"Fujiki, come here," Yuu ordered with a wave. When Kouta came over, he continued, "You need as much experience as possible so you take the first shot."

"What!" Kouta cried, alarmed at the prospect. "I think I would just screw it up. You should do it instead."

"Just concentrate and aim for its side. It doesn't really matter that you miss. It just means that we have one more Ogretail to deal with."

"One more?"

"I sense many others nearby." Yuu motioned toward the area behind the Ogretail.

"Are you sure?" Eric asked.

"He's right, I sense them too." Soma added, getting his heavy blade ready.

"So, can you do this?" Yuu asked, his expression entirely serious.

Kouta swallowed hard. "I-I'll try."

"When he fires, everybody brace yourself against the wave of Ogretails. Volgelweid, you stay close to Fujiki and keep him from harm."

"Don't worry about it, no Ogretail will get pass me," Eric said, giving Kouta a thumbs up.

Kouta then positioned himself a few feet to the right until he had a direct line of sight toward the Ogretail. His breathing slowed. His heart beating loudly. His sight focused. His head sweating profusely. Then, there was nothing left to do, but pull the trigger. His God Arc fired with a loud deafening bang that seemed like it could've been heard miles away. The Ogretail turned its head an inch toward Kouta when it heard the shot that pierced its side.

Just as Yuu had said, approximately 30 Ogretails appeared from the darkness in droves and converged upon the God Eaters like a pack of hungry wolves.

"Attack!" Yuu ordered, his God Arc firing bullets after bullets at the Ogretails' frontline. After dispatching five of them, he switched his God Arc to blade form when they were within 20 feet. He leapt into the fray and swiped the ground in a smooth arc, scattering the dust and blinding the Ogretails in a small dust cloud. With their sight impaired, they couldn't defend themselves from Yuu's blade that struck from all sides. He swiftly finished his opponents and moved on to the next.

"Come, you monsters!" Soma shouted as he struck down one Ogretail with his large blade. "I'll take all of you on!" He did the same with a second one. From behind it, a third and fourth Ogretail jumped over and tried to knock Soma down, but he avoided it in time and attacked both of them in one sweep.

While Yuu and Soma were dealing with most of the Ogretails, Eric maintained his position and fended off those that strayed from the main skirmish. His God Arc was a Blast gun type which was like a large cannon. It had a low rate of fire, but it shot out powerful explosives such as rockets, grenades and landmines. With his significant firepower that blew up many trees, rocks, and bushes, he effortlessly dispatched these low level Aragamis who weren't quick enough to avoid the large blast area. Luckily for him, Yuu and Soma were effectively maintaining the frontlines so Eric had sufficient time to reload in between shots. Otherwise, he would've been overrun and needed to retreat further back.

On Kouta's end, there was no activity whatsoever. After the battle had started with his first shot, he had yet to fire a second one. The battle wasn't what he had expected prior to joining Fenrir. Even though he had always been terrified of the Aragamis, he thought he would've gotten over it once he became a God Eater, those that were like all-powerful invincible heroes to him. But, he didn't feel like one in the slightest. As he listened to loud sounds of steel coming in contact with thick hides and dozens of terrifying hungry growls, his body became paralyzed with fear. He was scared of the nightmare occurring in front of him and he became fearful of his life. Even with his dependable and strong teammates fighting with him, it did very little to alleviate his fear. He wanted to run away with all his might, but his legs were glued to the ground along with the thought that he shouldn't do something so cowardly.

"Shit," Eric hissed as an Ogretail slashed him on the shoulder.

"Volgelweid-san!" Kouta cried out. With shaking hands, he aimed his God Arc at the Ogretail assaulting Eric. Without completely stabilizing his shot, he fired, missing the Ogretail by two feet and almost hitting Eric. Instead, the shot destroyed a nearby tree and alerted the Ogretail about his presence, prompting it to change its prey. "Wha! Stay away from me!" He tried to retreat further away, but his trembling legs wouldn't obey his command. All he could do was watch in horror as the rushing Ogretail got closer and closer. His heart felt like it had stopped beating as the Ogretail opened his massive mouth filled with dozens of teeth that were as sharp as knives and bit down on him.

"Don't forget that _I'm_ your opponent!" Eric shouted as he fired at the Ogretail's defenseless rear. It screamed in agony before falling over Kouta. "Hey, are you alright?" He pushed the heavy Aragami off of him and noticing that Kouta was frozen in shock. "Come on, we're still in battle so snap out of it." After slapping a few times in the cheek, Kouta senses returned to him.

"T-Thanks for the help and I'm sorry about before so I'll be more careful-" Kouta stopped in mid-sentence when he saw an encroaching Ogretail within two feet of the unsuspecting Eric. "Watch out!" Without even thinking about it, he picked up his God Arc and shot the Ogretail nearly point blank in its face.

"My god...I thought I was done for," Eric whispered, his body trembling at the thought of what could've happened. "I owe you one for saving my life."

"I think we're even in that department." Kouta forced out a dry raspy laugh.

"You're right, but we should talk about that later." Eric turned his attention to two more approaching Ogretails and readied his gun. "Let's quickly finish this and go home!"

_"Kouta, how are you holding up?"_ Lindow asked.

"Not really well," Kouta sadly admitted.

_"Don't worry about it. This is your first battle and I don't want to sound harsh, but we expect very little of you. The only way you'll disappoint me is that you shoot an ally or that you die yourself. Just concentrate and stay alive."_

Kouta paused a moment and allowed Lindow's words to lift a heavy burden that was weighing on his body since the battle began. Subconsciously, he'd felt that he had to contribute in some way otherwise he just be dead weight to the others. "...Thank you, Lindow-san and everybody else." He slapped his cheeks until they were stinging red and pushed his fears to the back of his mind before he joined up with Eric.

* * *

With a powerful downward slash, the Ogretail in front of Yuu was cleanly divided in half from head to feet. Taking a momentary breather, he examined the dozen plus Ogretail corpses lying around him. The battle had reached its climax and is heading toward its conclusion. He saw Soma taking on five Ogretails, a bit much for an average God Eater, but it was apparent that Soma was better than average. He was able to efficiently wield the Buster Blade which was a large and heavy yet powerful blade.

Because it didn't seem like Soma would need any help, Yuu regrouped with the rear members who were struggling with the remaining five. He ran at top speed and like a thunder bolt, struck down the five in a flash without stopping once.

"Wow...amazing," Eric applauded.

"Seems like most of the Ogretails are finished," Yuu mumbled. "All that is left is..." He looked at Soma who was delivering the final touches to the 1st Unit's victory.

After blocking an Ogretail's charge with his blade, Soma pushed the Aragami back and struck it down. Finally, he cut down the final one with a jumping strike.

When the forest became silent once more, Yuu ordered everyone to regroup.

"Are we done now?" Kouta asked, an unusual amount of sweat poured down his forehead despite the lack of action on his end.

"Not yet," Yuu replied, scanning the vicinity. "There could be more, but we should rest for a while before we continue."

"Ahhh," Kouta sighed as he sat down on a large rock. "I'm beat." He took out a few chocolate bars that were melting from his pocket. "Anybody want some?" When none showed any interest, he ate them all.

"Let's continue," Yuu said after ten minutes had gone by. The team members began moving forward while Kouta took a few more seconds resting on the rock. "Something's here," Yuu suddenly said as a monstrous roar echoed throughout the forest. "Brace yourselves!"

A powerful sonic boom flew through the forest and destroyed everything in its path. The three experienced members avoided the blast, but Kouta wasn't so lucky because he was slow to respond to the sudden attack. He was hit directly by the blast which sent him flying a few feet into the air before landing with a heavy thud.

"Don't worry, he has no serious wounds and he's just unconscious," Eric announced after examining Kouta's body.

Seconds later, another sonic boom came from another direction and was on a direct path to Eric and Kouta. Taking quick action, Yuu dashed toward them and changed his God Arc to a large shield, blocking the attack. The force was only strong enough to push him a few inches backward.

"Volgelweid, you stay close to him," Yuu ordered and then addressed Soma. "Seems like there's two Kongous rather than one. I'll take care of one and you get the other one."

_"Seems like the situation is getting dangerous so should I come help?"_ Lindow asked.

"There's no need." Yuu and Soma both replied in unison.

Behind the shrubbery, a large muscular ape-like monster appeared. Standing at more than 10 feet tall, it was a very imposing Aragami named Kongou. Following its appearance, the second Kongou entered the scene from 30 feet away on the left.

"Hyahh!" Soma jumped and struck the Kongou on the right, but it blocked the attack with its left arm. The hard gold plated armor that covered its arms, legs and back effortlessly bounced off the attack. "Damn, this one's tougher than normal."

Yuu advanced toward the left one and when he was within 15 feet, released a multitude of shots. First he targeted each of the Kongou's joints and then focused the remaining shots on its head.

The Kongou growled and then inhaled so much air that its abdomen expanded twice its size. Yuu quickly reloaded and fired off a shot that was aimed at the abdomen. But he wasn't fast enough as the Kongou opened its mouth and released the air, launching an enormous sonic boom that easily enveloped the bullet. Despite the sonic boom's significant speed and size, Yuu managed to avoid it in time. He leapt to the side and took careful aim before firing off two shots in rapid succession. The first pierced the Kongou's chin and the second blew out its right eye.

"Great job, Kannagi-san," Eric called out. "Just a little more and it'll go down."

As the Kongou stumbled around in agony, Yuu took this time to check up on Soma's situation. From the looks of things, he wasn't having any major problems with his head-on approach.

Soma leapt into the air and struck down at the Kongou's head, knocking it flat on its stomach. "Damn it," he said, clicking his tongue at the unintended result. All he could do at this point was hack away at the thick armor. After several pieces flew off, the Kongou got up and quickly spun its body 360 degrees. Its long tail smacked Soma hard like a whip, knocking him a few feet back. Remarkably, he instantly stood up and commenced his counterattack.

_"He's quite durable,"_ Yuu thought. _"But it's gonna take more than that to take on high level Aragamis."_

Soma ran toward the Kongou with his blade aiming directly at its stomach like a charging spear. His attack failed to connect when the Kongou rolled its body into a ball and launch itself toward him like a rolling boulder at speeds greater than 40 miles per hour. "Not good!" He exclaimed and then leapt out of the way, avoiding the attack by only a few inches.

Undeterred by the failed attack, it continued its rampage all over the area, following Soma everywhere and crushing everything in its path.

For the next minute, Soma played a life threatening game of "dodge the giant moving rock." Yuu initially thought of stepping in, but had a feeling that the brooding young man didn't need any help.

When Soma got tired of his futility, he stopped and stood his ground. "I'm putting a stop to this now." Using his blade, Soma took the Kongou's rolling attack head on. His body began to slid backward as the rolling continued. Focusing half of his strength in his legs to avoid tripping and getting crushed by its heavy body, he used his remaining strength in pushing back.

The situation had became extremely dangerous so Yuu took aim at the Kongou. In the corner of his eye, he could also see Eric getting ready to provide support fire. However, they were both surprised when the Kongou's rolling speed began to decrease along with the rate at which Soma was pushed back.

"Hold your fire, Volgelweid," Yuu ordered. "Let's give him a few more seconds."

"If you say so," Eric nervously replied back.

"Arrggghhhh!" Soma screamed out loud as the Kongou's rolling speed significantly dropped until it was moving about only five miles per hour. With one more final push, the Kongou was knocked backward and landed on its back, exposing its soft defenseless stomach. Quickly following up, Soma jumped up and landed his blade on the stomach, piercing it.

It struggled by wildly flapping its arms and legs, but it failed to get out its predicament. Dark liquid gushed out of the wound and eventually drained the Kongou's life until it was no more.

"Hmph, about time," Soma said as he pulled his blade out that was now covered by dark blood.

"One down," Yuu muttered, thinking about Soma's remarkable physical strength that rivaled many New-Types. This Soma person was definitely not some run of the mill God Eater so his interest was slightly piqued.

"Watch out, Kannagi-san!" Eric suddenly cried out.

Yuu returned his attention to the Kongou he'd wounded earlier on. Entering into a state of rage, it rolled toward him like the other one had done to Soma. However, Yuu took a different approach by changing his gun to a different variation with a wider barrel and muzzle, similar to Eric's Blast gun type. After loading a special powered bullet, he calmed his breathing and took careful aim. When the Kongou was within 20 feet, he fired at the ground directly in front of it, creating a small explosion that propelled it into the air and over his head.

The Kongou crash landed onto the hard ground, but not before blowing through several trees. Taking quick action, Yuu changed his God Arc to the long blade form and charged at the rising Kongou who then tried to grab him. After running at high speeds, he avoided its hands by sliding through its legs, ending on the other side. With one simple movement, he sliced off its tail and evaded the flurry of swipes that came afterwards. The distance between the two grew larger as Yuu skillfully hopped backward and side to side that confused the Aragami.

As he watched the Kongou's awkward movements, Yuu knew that it was almost done for. All that was left was to deliver one more powerful strike. Just as he was thinking that, the Kongou sucked in air and fired a wind blast at him. Because Yuu had stayed within its blind-spot caused by the destroyed right eye, he effortlessly dodged it by simply walking a few steps.

Frustration coursed through the Kongou's veins as it followed up by leaping high into the air, intending to land on Yuu. However, that brought its downfall as Yuu, like a rising dragon ascending to the heavens, jumped and pierced its abdomen before exiting on the other side. The Kongou then fell down to the ground like a crashing meteor, creating an earth shattering boom.

_"Hey, everybody alright?"_ Sakuya called out _. "We just felt an earthquake coming from the forest."_

"We're fine," Yuu replied after lopping off the Kongou's head. "It's all over now." Noticing for the first time that his body was drenched in dark red blood from jumping through the Kongou, he futilely tried to wipe the blood that accumulated on his hands and face.

"Are there any other Aragami left?" Eric asked after reconvening with Yuu and Soma.

"I don't think so," Soma replied.

Yuu nodded in agreement.

"Kannagi-san, I thought your gun form was an Assault Gun, but I'm certain it became something like a Blast Gun right before you defeated the Kongou," Eric said.

"I used both types during the battle."

"But how is that possible? I heard that New-Types can only have one gun form and one weapon form."

"Some New-Types are not limited to only one of each. And that includes me."

At that moment, Kouta opened his eyes and groaned in pain. "Ow, what just happened?" He rubbed his temple and felt a faint trace of blood that nearly made him faint again. "And what is that!" He screamed, feeling his soul leap out of his body after noticing Yuu's disturbing state. It was like looking at a mass murderer bathing in his victim's blood. A horrifying and disturbing scene to the young Kouta.

Eric chuckled. "That's just Kannagi-san. You missed the whole battle with the Kongou whose blood covers him." He motioned toward the lifeless and headless Aragami lying near Yuu's feet.

"I think I'm kinda glad not witnessing the battle with _that_."

Yuu loaded a recovery bullet and fired it at Kouta's chest. His body glowed green for a few seconds before he began to move his arms around and touch his temple. "This is...really awesome. I feel my pain flying away."

"That's why we need a few gun users in our team," Eric said. "Without them, we'd better make sure not to take any damage at all."

"So what now?" Soma asked while he was busy collecting the Aragami cores.

_"I'll leave that to Yuu's discretion,"_ Lindow replied.

"After we get all of the cores, we venture further in to check if any Aragami are left."

"Eh, we're still continuing?" Kouta complained.

"Just a bit further."

The team continued for another mile and a half before Yuu decided to return. They didn't find any other Aragami and by then, had covered a total of three miles when they first entered the forest.

* * *

"Welcome back, everyone," Sakuya greeted when the team returned. "Good work."

"And what happened to you?" Lindow asked after taking a good look at Yuu.

"Long story," he said, noticing a few Ogretail carcasses near the helicopter.

"We were busy too," Lindow said after following Yuu's line of sight. "See? It's a good thing I stayed behind."

"You're going to need these," Sakuya said, handing Yuu several bottles of water and a blue towel to wipe the blood off.

Kouta stumbled forward and then collapsed onto his knees. "Hah, I'm finally out of that dark place. Urgh." Now that he was within safe territory, the fear that he'd suppressed earlier had returned with full force and hit him like a ton of bricks. All of the bloodshed he saw. All of the monster like Aragamis he saw. And all of those close encounters he had were now fresh on his mind. His body trembled uncontrollably and he couldn't contain his breakfast any longer so he vomited it all onto the ground. After more than 30 seconds of displaying his vulnerability, he reddened with embarrassment. With tears streaming down his face, he said, "I'm sorry. It was just so scary that I..." His back slowly heaved up and down as he quietly sobbed.

Lindow came over and patted Kouta's back. "Just let it all out. No need to be embarrassed for crying manly tears. Like I said before, I'll only be disappointed if you shoot someone or you die yourself. You did neither so...you did good. You should know that everybody I'd known had felt the same way as you did during their first mission. Other than one particular individual that is, but he's abnormal so he doesn't count. Even that serious Soma cried like a baby on his first mission."

"Wha-" Soma was about to protest, but stopped when he realized that it was better for him to not say anything. While he didn't "cry" like a baby, he certainly didn't have a good first mission.

As Kouta sobbed in silence, Sakuya gave the pilot a thumbs up, prompting him to start the engine. Everybody else then packed their equipment and supplies while Lindow waited for Kouta to calm down. Soon, the 1st Unit were all resting on the helicopter as it headed back to the place that some of them called "home", a place safe from danger.

* * *

Rather than fatigue, Yuu was overcome with hunger when he returned to base so he planned to stop by the cafeteria, east of the lobby before taking a short rest. He entered the Den from the rear entrance that only Fenrir employees were allowed to use and made a beeline toward the east wing. Leaving his jacket on the helicopter, there were now only a few traces of Aragami blood on his body that were not very noticeable at first glance.

"Um, excuse me," a little girl suddenly called out to him. "Do you know where my brother is?"

"Brother?" Yuu quizzically asked, after stopping and raising an eyebrow. At the corner of his eye, he noticed an old man wearing formal black clothing, watching them from a few feet away. Then he returned his attention to the girl with light green hair and felt that she looked strangely familiar. She wore a white student cap, long sleeved blue sailor blouse, and dark gray pleaded skirt, much like a school uniform for rich young girls. Then he remembered the photo he saw earlier on the helicopter. "Your brother is...Eric Volgelweid?"

"Yes!" She happily replied. "I'm Erina der Volgelweid and he is Sebastian, our family butler." She gestured at the old man nearby who simply nodded. "Are you a friend of my brother?"

"Not really. I just met him today. We're in the same unit."

"Is that so?" Her smile widened as she looked him over. "I don't ever recall seeing you here before, but I feel like we've met before. May I get your name?"

"Yuu Kannagi."

"Kannagi-san...Oh!" Her eyes suddenly lit up as she looked at his face. "Red Eyes! I should've known it was you since my brother said that you would be arriving soon. You know my brother really respects you."

"He certainly didn't try to hide that," he said with a frown.

She giggled and said, "You also saved my life on that day. So allow me the opportunity to thank you."

"Your brother already gave me his thanks on behalf of his family."

Regardless, she held the sides of her skirt and briefly curtsied. "This might seem inappropriate given what you've already done for us, but I'd like to ask you for a favor." Her expression suddenly serious and grim."

"What kind?"

"Please keep a close watch over my brother. Even with someone as great as Lindow-san in the unit, I'm still concerned about his well-being. But if you're there as well, then I know he'll be safe."

Yuu frowned and said, "I can't guarantee anything, but I'll do what I can."

"Thank you so much! This really means a lot to me."

"You're looking for your brother, right? He should still be unpacking the equipment from the helicopter so he'll be here once he's done."

"Is that so? Then I'll wait here a bit longer."

Yuu then continued on his way, thinking about the Volgelweid siblings' strong bond between each other and the vexing new responsibility that he felt was coerced into assuming.

* * *

The cafeteria was a large high ceiling room filled with many long white tables aligned in several rows. At the eastern end, many of the kitchen staff were busy preparing meals that would feed most of the branch members once the sun began to fall in the horizon and replaced by the moon.

Currently, it was still midday and so the cafeteria was largely empty, but for the few researchers and mechanics who worked all night and slept through most of the day. Yuu found this quiet atmosphere to be very peaceful and relaxing. A strong contrast to the loud hectic battle earlier. As he took several bites of his hot chicken fried rice, he gazed outside the massive window that made up the entire northern wall in the cafeteria.

Positioned at the far distant, there were two God Eaters shooting practice targets across a 100 foot wide field. Snipers, he presumed based on the large distance. After squinting his eyes, the only details he could make out was that they both appeared to be females, one with short silver hair and the other with short red orange hair.

"What're you looking at?"

Yuu slightly turned his head and saw Kouta sitting across from him. "Two God Eaters training," he replied.

"Really?" Kouta moved closer to the window and squinted his eyes. "I don't see anybody like that. Guess that's why my God Arc is only an Assault type." He forced a chuckle before becoming silent. Even though there was a large tray of food in front of him, he'd yet to take a bite. Instead, he too listlessly gazed out the window.

When several minutes passed, Kouta asked, "How do you do it, Kannagi-san? Fighting these battles over and over. Even though I'm safe now, I'm still scared of what happened." He placed his head in the palm of his hands. "The images keep playing back in my mind and I can't think of anything else. I don't think I can go on like this."

Yuu continued eating and didn't say anything in response until he finished. After letting out a quiet sigh, he said, "The way I see it, you have three options. The first is to quit being a God Eater and return to an ordinary life. It's not too late, but you and your family's reputation will be adversely affected for running away. The second is to improve your abilities and gain as much experience as you can in battle until you are no longer hindered by fear and that you only think of accomplishing the mission."

"And the third option?" Kouta asked, his expression nervous and anxious.

"You continue with the way you are, never changing and constantly fearing for your life. You will most certainly die soon if you choose this path."

"I...don't think I can live with myself for running away while knowing that everybody else is risking their lives on the battlefield," Kouta confessed, a few tears sliding down his face. "And I don't want to die. So...there's only one option left for me." He looked Yuu straight in the eyes. "But is it possible for _me_ to become a better God Eater?"

"Anyone is capable of being good. It just depends on how much time and commitment he puts in."

"I see..." Kouta closed his eyes, as if thinking seriously about what Yuu had told him. "Then I'll try my best from this point on and become a great God Eater."

Yuu gestured at Kouta's tray of food. "Remember that eating healthy is also part of become a better God Eater as well."

"Oh, r-right." Kouta said before finally eating his meal that consisted of mostly tempura vegetables.

"If you want..." Yuu began.

"Hm?" Kouta looked up, his mouth full of vegetables.

"You could train with me. It'll be challenging, but at least it's a step in the right direction."

"Really?" Kouta asked after swallowing. "Of course I want to! Thanks for the offer!" He vigorously shook Yuu's hand.

"Save the thanks for later when you show some progress. And it's only until you get the hang of things."

"Alright, I suddenly feel fired up!" Kouta shouted across the room and then wolfed down his food with such speed that it disappeared in a flash. "I'm going to visit my family now so I'll see you later."

"Training begins at six."

Kouta made a horrified face before becoming serious once again. "Okay."

After Kouta left the cafeteria, Yuu continued with his own meal, but at a much slower pace than Kouta had gone. Just when he was done, somebody approached him.

"So you're back after all this time," a man said in a deep gruff voice. Despite the long years he lived, the man didn't look old at all. With only a few gray strands of hair and a fit muscular figure, he was a model of someone who aged very well. His left arm hung in a sling underneath his maroon colored jacket, which including his black pants and combat boots, accurately painted the image of a veteran soldier.

"Gen Momota...you're still here?" Yuu asked, looking a little surprised.

"My remaining life is devoted to train and guiding new God Eaters how to survive in this chaotic world. It was true nine years ago and is still true today. I'm not going anywhere."

"New God Eaters here must be blessed," Yuu said with a hint of sarcasm.

"Well, I don't know about that, but _I_ feel blessed to have guided such people who worried and cared for their teammates. And when times got tough, they stuck it out till the end." Gen's eyes narrowed as he concentrated on Yuu. "The only one to disappoint me was you, who ran away from here like a coward."

"It's not like I had a choice," Yuu snapped in a rare moment of anger.

"You _did_ have a choice. You could've stayed here and repent for your sins."

With a scowl, Yuu mumbled, "Like it would've been that easy."

"So? Why are you back?"

"Why else? To kill Aragamis of course," Yuu replied as a matter of fact.

Gen frowned at his response. "I hope that is _all_ you do this time around."

Yuu scowled, but didn't say anything else.

"It seems like your hot headed self still exists beneath your newfound cold exterior." He shook his head disappointedly. "I'd stay and chat some more, but it's about time I get back to work. But before I go, the one you were speaking with was a new God Eater correct?"

Yuu nodded.

"It seems like he just had his first battle and is still mentally recovering from it. I'll have a chat with him later on." Gen began walking away and when he was almost out the door, he said, "Despite my disappointment, it's good to see you again Kannagi, alive and healthy."

"...I guess I could say the same about you," Yuu muttered before returning to his room.

* * *


	3. Harsh Reality

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The 1st Unit is sent to a village to defend civilians from an Aragami invasion and Kouta is forced to witness the harsh reality of being a God Eater.

** CHAPTER III: HARSH REALITY **

** February 6, 2071 **

The floor that housed the regular God Eater members was deathly quiet this early in the morning. Some of the ordinary Fenrir employees may have been up at this time, but for the God Eaters who were only paid to fight, remained deep in slumber. Young Kouta was no exception.

As promised, Yuu planned to help train Kouta so he came over to his room at 6:00 A.M. He half expected Kouta to still be asleep, but he was disappointed nonetheless to discover Kouta quietly snoring on the bed. With a few nudges on the arm, Yuu attempted to wake him up.

"Hey, it's time to begin training so wake up," Yuu nearly shouted. After Kouta formed some incoherent words, Yuu whispered into Kouta's ear, "Is this the extent of your commitment and determination?"

Kouta stirred and then all of a sudden, his eyes shot wide opened. "I-I don't want to die!" With disoriented eyes, he looked around the room until he saw his visitor. "Kannagi...san?"

"Do you know why I'm here?"

Kouta's mouth opened, but no words came out. He blinked a few times and then quietly said, "We're training today."

Yuu simply nodded.

"S-Sorry about not waking up on time! I'm serious about training so give me a chance!" Kouta got on his knees and prostrated himself.

"Just hurry up and take a quick shower. It'll help wake you up. Get down to the training room in 10 minutes." Yuu them left the room without another word.

"Crap, gotta hurry. Now...where did I put my change of clothes?" Kouta frantically ran around the room while looking for his clothes as if his life depended on it.

* * *

The Den's training room was located on the lower levels so that any combat training would not disturb those on the higher floors. The facility was actually one very large room created to look like a traditional dojo. Except that the walls and floor were made of highly durable material that many standard blasts from a God Arc won't even make a dent. Perfect for those that came to spar with one another or practice shooting at targets.

Even though the room is a good place to train, it wasn't a place where many God Eaters actually come to train, mostly preferring to use the training grounds outside where they could create more realistic simulations. Yuu on the other hand, enjoyed the quiet area that allowed him to focus on his own individual regime with minimal contact, especially this early in the morning.

"I'm here, Kannagi-san!" Kouta waved his arms once he entered the room. He wore a simple t-shirt, shorts and running shoes. "What are those for?" He pointed to the two objects resembling Gun Type God Arcs.

"You'll know later. But now, we're going to do some running. 3 miles around the room, each lap is 1/3 of a mile so 9 laps altogether."

"T-Three miles? Isn't that a little too extreme? You're kidding right?" Kouta awkwardly laughed.

"Not at all. I'm actually being lenient because I usually do 5 miles every morning for a warm up."

Kouta was about to retort, but after noticing Yuu's completely serious expression, chose to only say, "Okay."

"Remember that every good God Eater needs great endurance and stamina. What is the point of having strength and skill when you can't use them for a long amount of time?"

"That makes sense."

Stage 1 of the training began with what was supposedly a simple warm up exercise, but it turned out to be a grueling test for the young and untrained Kouta. Try as he might, he was quickly outpaced by Yuu who showed no sign of breaking a sweat. It didn't take long for Yuu to lap him. It wasn't just once, but several instances during the exercise.

When Kouta was nearly out of breath and starting his final mile, Yuu had effortlessly completed his 5 mile run and began swinging a large blade. Rather than waste any energy asking him what he was doing, Kouta focused on the final stretch, ignoring the surge of wind created with each powerful swing.

After what felt like an eternity of punishment, Kouta finished his task and approached Yuu, wheezing and gasping for air. "I...I'm...done...wi...th...the...3...mile...s."

"It's about time," Yuu replied with an impatient tone. "Let's begin the next part."

Kouta's eyes quickly grew large as he frantically raised his hands. "H-Hold up, Kannag-san. Can't I...get a moment...to rest?"

Taking a look at Kouta's haggard condition, Yuu sighed and said, "Fine, but just for 10 minutes." He tossed an ice cold water bottle at him.

"T-Thanks!" Kouta slid his body down the wall, drinking from the bottle and catching his breath.

In the meantime, Yuu resumed his sword swinging. It was a seemingly simple exercise, but Kouta doubted it was as simple as it looked. If there was anything he learned from the past few days, it was that Yuu Kannagi was far from a normal God Eater. Somehow amazing, yet frightening at the same time.

"Break's over," Yuu suddenly announced, sending Kouta on his feet.

"Y-Yes!"

"Catch." Yuu tossed one of the objects resembling a Gun God Arc to Kouta who almost dropped it.

"God Arc replica. It lacks the same destructive capabilities compared to an actual God Arc, but it's sufficient for training purposes. Loaded are rubber bullets that won't cause any significant injury."

"Okay...but what do I do with it?"

"Simple. You try to shoot me with a bullet. I'll be a moving target to simulate an Aragami, particularly a docile one who won't attack you back.

"Ehhhh!" Kouta cried out, his eyes bulging out of his sockets. "But...won't that hurt you?"

"A bit," Yuu admitted. "But I doubt that you'll be able to actually hit me." A faint trace of a smirk appeared on his face.

The subtle insult didn't escape Kouta's notice as his lips curved into a frown. "Even I have some pride you know." He muttered under his breath and his eyes instantly grew more determined. "I'm ready when you are."

When he was standing about fifty feet away, Yuu said, "Let's begin." A rubber bullet flew past him, but was off about 5 feet as soon as he said that. "Not bad, but you still missed."

"This is far from over. Try and dodge this!" Kouta began chasing Yuu around the room while taking every opportunity he had to fire off a bullet. Even though Kouta was trying to close the distance between them, it was proving to be a difficult task. Yuu smoothly avoided getting cornered and maintained the fifty foot distance.

It didn't take very long for Kouta to run out of bullets, bringing the training exercise to an end. Not to mention that his fatigue from earlier had resurfaced and completely restricted his movements.

"Well...let's stop for today," Yuu said, walking up to the exhausted Kouta who was lying face down on the ground. "Still want to continue? I guess every two days should be fine for you." Kouta made a muffled groan and attempted to move his body. "I'll take that as a yes."

* * *

"You should start eating already."

Kouta stared lifelessly at his bowl of miso soup and grilled fish. He didn't seem to have heard Yuu's suggestion.

After the intense training, the two were in the cafeteria for breakfast. One was peacefully eating while the other was feeling like a ragged corpse.

"Mind if I eat with you guys?"

Eric flashed them a large smile and motioned at the seat next to Kouta. After receiving a nod from Yuu, Eric sat down and immediately noticed Kouta's abnormal state.

"What happened to you, Kouta? Looks like your dying," Eric joked.

"...You may be right..." Kouta quietly replied, his consciousness began returning to his body. "Kannagi-san's training...is very painful."

"Training?" Eric's furrowed his eyebrows before they quickly rose up in excitement. "You're receiving special training from Kannagi-san? Can I join in next time?"

Yuu quietly sipped his miso soup, taking his time and leaving Eric in heavy suspense. When he was done with that, he finally said, "Do whatever you want."

"Thank you, Kannagi-san!" Eric happily cheered as he slapped Kouta on the back. "Looking forward to training with you."

Instead of getting caught in Eric's jubilant celebration, Kouta merely murmured something incoherent.

"So...when's the next training?" Eric asked.

* * *

A few days quickly flew by since then, mostly uneventful for the average God Eater. Eric joined Kouta in Yuu's spartan training. It was even difficult to Eric who had a lot more experience on the field compared to Kouta. The session usually ended with the two God Eaters collapsed on the ground, struggling to breathe while Yuu remained as calm as ever. However, the two did showed minor improvements the more they participated in the sessions.

The attitude that Kouta had shown in a recent battle reflected his determination to improve and succeed. While he didn't contribute much of the work as compared to the others, he'd remained calm and assisted when he could which earned him many praises from Lindow, Sakuya and Eric. For now, it seemed like Kouta was trudging along on the path of a successful God Eater.

Days later after another successful mission, Yuu could be found relaxing on the Den's rooftop, leaning on the railing and gazing at the large nearby island where the "future" of humankind will be at through the Aegis Project. It was so peaceful that his eyelids began to droop, but before he could take a quick nap, he felt a presence nearby.

"Good afternoon, Kannagi-san." Erina greeted him in her usual ladylike demeanor. "I heard that Unit 1 had just completed a mission. Good work as always."

"I'm just doing my job. That's all."

Erina smiled at Yuu's curt response. "By the way, my brother seems to be quite happy these days."

"Hmm...is that so? When is he ever unhappy? I've always seen him smiling since I joined up."

"That's where you're mistaken," she replied with downcast eyes. "There have been many times when he felt sad or depressed. He just tries to hide it behind a constant smile. But I can see past that...He's my brother after all."

"Is that so? Well, what do you see when you look at me?"

"A hero of course!"

Yuu sarcastically laughed at her response, but said nothing further.

Not feeling offended in the slightest, she said, "I think it's about time I head back. It was nice talking to you again, Kannagi-san." She waved goodbye and disappeared out of his sight, leaving him all alone once again.

* * *

On the following day, a confused and frantic Kouta burst into the 1st Unit's meeting room after hearing about the emergency summons from the intercom. "What's going on! What's happening!" In contrast, the unit members who were already in the room were all composed and alert.

"We were just about to talk about it, Fujiki," Tsubaki replied. "Take a seat."

"Y-Yes!"

"Now that everyone's here, let's begin at once." She turned on the projector to reveal a map which continued to zoom in until they were looking down at what appeared to be a village from above. "In short, while on patrol, some of our scouts have found a village under siege by a large number of Aragami. It's already been about 10 minutes since the attack began."

"How many Aragami are we talking about?" Lindow asked.

"Numbers are still coming in, but it seems to be about 50 right now. Most of them are Ogretails, but one of them is a Kongou and the other is a Borg Camlann."

"This is a pretty bad situation," Sakuya commented. "The village won't last very long."

"Um, I know what a Kongou is, but what's a Borg Calmlann?" Kouta asked.

"You'll see it soon, but it's basically more dangerous and bigger than a Kongou."

Kouta sunk in his seat and became dispirited once he heard the explanation. "Urgh...I suddenly feel sick."

Tsubaki suddenly slammed her palm onto the desk and shouted, "We have no more time for idle chatter! This is an emergency so you all should now go make preparations for the mission. Priority is to save lives, not defeating the Aragami, got it?" She quickly looked at each of the Unit 1 members and then said, "Helicopter's leaving in 10 minutes, with or without you."

* * *

Fortunately for the 1st Unit, the Far East Branch staff members had carried and transported their supplies to the helicopter while the meeting was going on. Thus, all the unit members only had to simply gear up and get to the helicopter in time.

"So Lindow, got any ideas on how we should proceed with this?" Sakuya asked after a few minutes everyone had gotten on.

"Hard to say without any other information." Lindow rubbed his chin and began thinking deeply about the situation. "Like what my sister said earlier, we should prioritize getting the civilians out first over extinguishing the Aragami. So...let's split into groups with different roles. One will focus on saving the civilians while the other will focus on protecting the first group. Sounds good?"

"I'm fine with that," Eric said with nod.

"Me too," Sakuya agreed.

"Then...how about Eric and Kouta will focus on saving the civilians," Lindow began. "I don't mean any offense, but you two are the least proficient at combat in our unit."

"None at all, Lindow-san," Eric replied. "I know what I'm capable of so I'm not offended."

"It's frustrating to not be of much help, but I'm honestly glad about doing the less dangerous work," Kouta chimed in. "Maybe someday I can do more, but not now."

Lindow nodded in approval at his teammates' responses. "Just do what you can do and you'll live longer. Trust me. Now that's out of the way..." He turned his attention to the remaining members. "I guess we can divide it further into two teams, each with the two roles I mentioned earlier. Me and Soma will cover Kouta while Yuu will cover Eric. Sakuya, I guess you'll provide support from the helicopter for either team."

"Roger that." Sakuya began to load bullets after bullets into her large God Arc rifle.

"I think it's best that we land in the middle of the village when we get there. I'd imagine most of the stranded villagers are at the center. From there, the two groups will split up, my group will head west while Yuu's group will head east. So...how's the plan?"

"I like it," Kouta replied.

"Meh, it's not terrible," Soma muttered before looking out the window.

"And what about you, New-Type-san?" Lindow asked with a grin.

"Unexpectedly good." Yuu replied. "I'd probably do the same thing."

"...Was that an insult or a compliment?"

"3 more minutes and we're at the destination," a pilot suddenly announced.

All of the God Eaters' attention turned to the windows to see the distant village. At first, they could only make out a blurry structure, but it became clearer and clearer the closer they got. In mere moments, they could easily see the carnage and destruction right in front of their eyes.

A large number of Ogretails were chasing and preying on a small number of helpless civilians running for their lives. Many homes and structures were brought to ruins by the attack. What they were seeing was similar to the many Aragami attacks that threatened mankind when they first descended onto the world. A one sided war where instead of trying to win it, humans were only trying to survive. For countless years, all humans set surviving as their primary goal...until the God Eaters appeared and brought the potential to win.

"Are we too late?" Sakuya asked. "Shouldn't we be seeing more people?"

"They're probably hiding inside their homes so let's not waste another second and move out right away!" Lindow ordered as the helicopter reached the center of the village.

"Um, we're not going to land first?" Kouta asked, nervously looking down at the ground. The helicopter was steadily hovering approximately 50 feet above ground.

"There's no time. We're going to slide down the rope."

"Remember to wear your gloves, otherwise your hands won't look pretty by the time you get to the ground," Sakuya advised.

"Yuu, Soma, we're heading down first." Lindow slammed opened the doors, inviting the powerful surge of wind into the helicopter. Without even attempting to say anything else over the loud spinning helicopter blades, he chucked the rope down, and slid down it with one hand loosely gripping onto it. Yuu and Soma then followed closely behind him.

Like three powerful thunderbolts, the God Eaters' descent cleanly divided three Ogretails in half who were cornering a terrified family to the wall. In one moment, they were cowering for their lives and in the next, their attackers were destroyed. It all happened too fast for them to properly react to the situation. Their mouths hung opened as they watched the three God Eaters observed their surroundings.

"No time to rest, we still got a lot of work to do," Lindow said before striking down an approaching Ogretail.

Soma and Yuu quickly followed suit and soon, they dispatched all of the Ogretails in the immediate area. Once the area was clear, Kouta and Eric had finally made their descent.

"Are you all okay?" Kouta asked the now confused family. "We're here to help."

"A-Are you all God Eaters?" The father asked.

"That's right," Eric replied. So stay close to Kouta as he helps the other people in danger. I'll be heading with Kannagi-san to the east."

"Okay, we'll split up here," Lindow ordered and began making his way towards the west. Soma ran ahead, but stayed relatively close to the group while Kouta slowly guided the family.

"Are we going to be okay?" A little boy timidly asked.

"Of course," Kouta replied, trying to calm his nerves. "We have a lot of experienced God Eaters with us so we'll pull through."

Lindow grinned at Kouta's response before he suddenly came to a stop. The group heard a loud continuous banging noise in the nearby house. "Looks like there some Aragami inside. I doubt it's the Kongou or the Borg based on the sound."

"That's the Sakamoto's house," the wife said. "I'm sure they're still inside so please help them!"

"Don't worry ma'am, that's what we're going to do. Soma, want to go in or should I do it?"

"I'll just do it. It's boring standing guard out here anyway." Soma entered the home and after about a minute, the group heard sounds of an intense battle inside. It didn't last long though as the home soon became deathly quiet and Soma casually walked outside as if nothing had occurred. He was followed by two trembling adults.

"Thank god you both made it out safe." the father breathed out a sense of relief as he and his family rushed towards the couple.

"Enomoto-san...?" The husband wearily asked. "You're safe as well." The two families began happily chatting with each other as a result of seeing alive familiar faces.

"What happened earlier?"

"After the Aragami broke into our home, we quickly barricaded ourselves in our room. We knew the barricade wouldn't last very long, but we had nowhere else to go knowing that the streets were filled with Aragami too. We thought our time had come when the noise outside was getting louder and then our door broke down. But to our surprise, we saw a young man standing nonchalantly behind it." They looked at Soma who was perched on the steps of their home, looking bored and restless.

"Seems like these great folks were sent by Fenrir to save us."

"Really now. You all have my thanks." All of the people saved so far had also nodded their heads in agreement.

"How many people are in your village?" Lindow asked, returning back to business.

"About 100 before the attack..."

"Not very much, as expected. Sakuya, see where the Kongou or the Borg yet? Did Yuu's group come into contact with them?"

_"No, I haven't see any of them yet. But I do notice about 20 Ogretails converging in the area northwest from where you are right now."_

"Northwest from here, huh."

"That's where the town hall is," the father said. "It's a big place so I think a lot of the survivors had escaped there."

"Well, that's we're heading then."

The group continued down the wide road where they saw a few Ogretails feasting on unlucky dead villagers. Their limbs torn from their bodies and their faces ripped off so they were unidentifiable. Red blood spewed all over the scene as if somebody had dropped a bucket of red paint from somewhere high up. The survivors gasped in shocked at the scene while Kouta struggled to keep his breakfast down in his stomach.

On the bright side, they were able to rescue a few more survivors along the way, but it made it more difficult to keep a close watch on everybody.

After about 30 minutes since they descended the village, the group entered a large open area with the large structure in the center. They immediately noticed the large swarm of Ogretails trying to break into it. The Ogretails didn't seem to be making much progress until a large Aragami entered the scene from behind a nearby house. It was like a large black scorpion with thick black scales and a long dangerous tail. Standing at more than a story high, it shadowed over the smaller Ogretails as it began breaking down the structure with its claws that had what appeared to be a shield attached to them.

"What is that?" Kouta quietly asked, quaking in fear.

"That...is the Borg Calmlann," Lindow replied. "This situation has just became critical. The town hall won't hold much longer. Kouta, get the survivors into that home and try not to draw any attention to yourselves. Me and Soma will handle the rest."

"I understand," Kouta replied before addressing the others. "Follow me closely."

After Kouta and the civilians had safely entered the home, Lindow lit a cigarette and began smoking it. "Time to get to work."

"You don't have to tell me twice," Soma said, dashing into the crowd of Ogretails and began cutting them down. After decapitating an Ogretail's head, the other Ogretails swarmed in on him. "Damn, this isn't looking good. Hey, about some help here?" He called out to Lindow who was busy jumping on the Ogretails like they were floating logs in a river.

"Sorry Soma, but I have bigger fish to fry."

"Hey! Get back here you bastard! Argh, to hell with this!" Some increased his speed and attacked the Ogretails at an even quicker pace. Forgoing most of his defense, he tried to finish each Ogretail with a single slash even though he had failed with a few of them. Because of that, a number of them had gotten too close to him and were able to knock him off his feet with a head butt. It became a dire situation, but fortunately for him, Sakuya began picking them off one by one with well aimed shots from the helicopter.

_"Are you alright?"_

"I'm fine," he replied with a grunt and then muttered. "Thanks."

_"Okay, we'll take care of the Ogretails together then. Shouldn't take too long so we can help out Lindow afterwards."_

* * *

"Whoa! Close one." Lindow had narrowly evaded the Borg's tail that had targeted his heart. The tail then continued to lunge at him with such speed that if he missed his step for a single second, the tail was likely to pierced his body and end his life. He spent the next 2 minutes avoiding the tail that seemed to have a mind of its own and could reach him from any direction. A precarious situation indeed.

Switching from defense to offense, Lindow said, "My turn." He swiftly struck the attacking tail which caused the Borg to wail in pain. He followed up by running towards its underbelly, but was denied access when it lowered its legs and pushed the shield like objects on its arm together to form a powerful wall.

The Borg then charged at Lindow while in its defensive stance, forcing him to evade once more. Before Lindow could unleash a counterattack, he heard something loudly exploded on the other side of the village.

"What was that?"

 _"Don't worry, it's just something that Yuu did,"_ Sakuya replied. _"Just concentrate on the Borg, we're almost done here."_

"Yeah, yeah." Lindow readied his blade and approached the Borg who was now charging at him again. This time, he jumped over the charge and impaled his blade into the Borg's back. After pulling it out, he tried to attack the tail once more, but it lunge straight at him so he was forced to jump off.

The Borg continued with a wide area sweep with its long tail by spinning its body. An ordinary God Eater would have tried to evade or risk sustaining a significant injury, but Lindow was one of the best at the Far East. He blocked the attack with his blade and flung the tail back at the Borg. Afterwards, he charged at the Borg who entered its defensive stance once again, but it was useless. Shots fired from the sky had pierced the shield and along with a powerful slash from Lindow, the shields shattered, leaving the Borg exposed.

"It's over for you!" Lindow exclaimed as he finally gotten access to the Borg's underside. He raised his blade and pierced the abdomen before running it down the Borg's body. It didn't go down immediately though as it stumbled in pain until it collapsed into a nearby building, causing it to fall down and bury its body under the rubble. "Now...let's clear up the Ogretails."

* * *

On Yuu's side, his group had pretty much experience the same things as Lindow's group. They had defeated a few Ogretails who were trying to break into homes inhabited by the survivors. A simple battle would ensue and the rescued survivors would follow him while Eric protected the rear. They also stumbled onto a few Ogretails feasting on corpses as well.

It was mostly uneventful until they got within sight of a large house that was under attacked by a large number of Ogretails including a Kongou.

"Volgelweid, get the survivors to safety while I deal with all of them," Yuu ordered.

"Right away, Kannagi-san."

Yuu then approached the Aragami and engaged them in battle. However, only a few of them had bothered with him while the rest had ran past him and towards Eric and the survivors who were merely 50 feet away.

Sakuya and Eric begun shooting the Ogretails, but they weren't fast enough to stop all of them. _"There's just too many of them,"_ Sakuya said with urgency.

Yuu quickly thought about shooting the Ogretails as well, but they were already too close to the survivors before he could wipe them all out. To make matters worse, the Kongou was already making its way towards them as well. "Guess I'll try this out then," he muttered and loaded a special bullet into his God Arc. He fired it into the sky and it exploded into a loud shockwave when it reached about 50 feet.

As planned, all of the Aragami turned their attention toward Yuu who was directly below the shockwave. Most of them converged on him, but he wasn't worried about the situation at all. He lured them away from the survivors and the people inside the home, all the while firing well aimed shots at the Aragami.

"Don't worry about these ones, Kannagi-san," Eric shouted. "They won't get past me." He took careful aim and fired at the three Ogretails who didn't chase after Yuu.

Meanwhile, Yuu had retreated more than a 100 feet away from where Eric was and by the time the Aragami had reached him, only 10 Ogretails and the Kongou remained.

He switched his God Arc to blade mode as the Kongou unleashed a wind blast at him. Charging forward while evading the wind blast, he dispatched 3 Ogretails in a flash and struck the Kongou in its arm.

Angered by the attack, the Kongou spun its body around which ended up knocking away a few close Ogretails. Yuu quickly took advantage of the situation and struck down the Ogretails until the last one was divided in two by one powerful cut. All that was left was the Kongou who now started rolling into a ball. Before it could gain any substantial momentum however, Yuu struck the Kongou's body with a powerful swing of his blade that knocked it away and then onto the ground. It sat on its behind, temporarily dazed and confused.

Yuu then loaded up special rounds into his God Arc rifle and pushed the muzzle of his barrel directly into the Kongou's face. Without any hesitation, he pulled the trigger with incredible speed. Bullets shot out one after another and they all exploded point blank, causing tremendous damage to the Kongou. All that was left of the place he attacked was a large gaping hole where the head had been. The battle ended when Yuu changed his God Arc into predator mode and pierced the Kongou's belly before pulling out its core.

"I'm done here, how about you Volgelweid?"

_"Great work, Kannagi-san. All survivors are safe and sound. We even united them with the survivors inside the home. Seems like these are the remaining survivors on the east side."_

"Sakuya, what about Lindow's group?"

_"We're just about done here as well. I don't see any other Aragami around and I don't think there are any other survivors around. Let's regroup then. How about joining Lindow at the town hall? That's where we're landing as well."_

"Got it. Volgelweid, gather everybody that's alive. We're joining up with Lindow."

* * *

"Thanks for saving us, Onii-san," a boy said with a wide smile.

"Who's this?" Yuu asked. They were on their way to the rendezvous point and the only survivor who was actively talking to the God Eaters was a young boy of 10. The rest were busy chatting with their family and friends.

"He was inside the large house during the battle," Eric began. "He was also watching too. Apparently he's looking for his mother who should be at the town hall."

"I didn't think that God Eaters were so amazing," the boy said. "I mean, I hear stories about them, but I didn't think they were as good as I heard."

"Most of us aren't that good actually," Eric said. "But, weren't you scared at all?"

"Well yeah at first. I hid in the corner and closed my ears and eyes so I can't hear or see anymore of it. But then, when I felt the Aragami had stopped their attacks, I looked out and was in awe at someone actually standing against them. Then I kind of forgot about the scary stuff."

"Good for you." Eric ruffled the boy's hair and couldn't help but smile at the boy's energy. "I'm sure your mother's safe and sound."

* * *

"So you're all back," Sakuya greeted once she saw Yuu's group enter the open area outside of the town hall.

"Is this everybody?" Yuu asked.

"Yes sadly. I think with your group, there's only about 50 people left." She turned her attention to the survivors who were busy searching for family and friends. Reality had struck a number of them as they realized that the people they were looking for were not there. They broke down in grief and cried.

Sakuya then went inside the helicopter to search for supplies that they could give out to the survivors. "We'll stay here and rest for another hour before heading out."

"Where's Lindow?"

"Digging out the Borg Calmlann to get its core. Why don't you help him?"

"I'll pass." Instead, Yuu decided to rest in the helicopter as he waited for the departure. The battle was far from tough, but he didn't like the sense of urgency that he felt throughout the mission so he was feeling tired as a result.

Eric on the other hand was still feeling energetic as he searched for the boy's mother. "Do you see her?"

"Hmmm..." The boy looked at each of the survivor one by one until he saw a familiar figure. "I think I see her! Over there!"

The two headed towards the figure while the boy continued to shout, "Mom, mom!"

The woman who was also frantically searching for someone, had noticed the boy's call and turned towards his direction. "Taichi! You're alive!"

"Mom!"

The mother and son ran into each other's arms as their fears and concerns were lifted away.

The scene in front of Eric had brought a tear to his eye. "This is what being a God Eater is all about."

Suddenly, the Borg Calmlann rose up from the rubble and shot its tail at the mother and son.

"Damn," Lindow said as he took his blade and attempted to slice off the Borg's tail.

Yuu had also taken his God Arc rifle and shot out a bullet.

But the two weren't going to make it in time. Eric knew it so he leapt forward and pushed the mother and her son out of the way. The tail pierced Eric's chest before Lindow and Yuu had successfully destroyed the Borg and its tail.

"Eric-sannnnn!" Kouta shouted. He quickly ran to Eric's fallen body along with the mother and son he had protected. The remaining survivors watched in shock at what had transpired in just mere moments.

"Don't die, nii-san!" The boy sobbed on his knees. "You can't!"

Eric attempted to smile, but ended up coughing up blood. "A...re...yo...u...o...kay?"

"Of course I am. But you..."

"We need to shoot you with a recovery bullet," Kouta said as he fumbled around in his pocket.

Eric shakily grabbed Kouta's arm and shook his head. When he saw Yuu in view, he asked, "Di...d...I...do...go...od?"

"Yeah," Yuu quietly replied. "You were like a hero."

"T...h...a...t...'s...g...o...o...d...," Eric said before he breathed his last breath, a smile remained on his face.

Lindow bent down and closed Eric's eyelids. He then punched the ground in anger, but said nothing else.

The town hall area was mostly silent afterwards. Kouta was inside the helicopter and still trying to digest what had happened while the other God Eaters continued with the final preparations.

When Yuu was finished with his part, he returned to the helicopter and sat down when Kouta suddenly began talking.

"Eric-san was...a really good person you know? He was always smiling and supporting everybody including me. We joked, laughed, ate and even trained together. So why did he...?"

"This is the reality for us God Eaters," Yuu said. "Didn't you already realized it in the first battle you had?"

"But, what about the training?" Kouta asked with tears pouring down his face. "Wasn't that supposed to prevent from getting killed in battle?"

"Of course not. It only lowers the chance, but it's impossible to completely prevent it."

Even though Kouta understood it, he felt it was still wrong.

"Okay, it's about time we head out," Lindow said, attempting to break the heavy atmosphere.

"Wait, what about the people here?" Kouta suddenly asked. "We're not just leaving them here are we?"

"I'm afraid so."

"But, they can't stay here now that everything's pretty much destroyed. Where will they go?"

"We can't bring them back with us," Sakuya interjected. "Anagura won't accept them. It's not like your family's situation when the city was accepting new people. We just don't have the supplies and food to care for them." Her eyes were noticeably red and a bit swollen.

"That's...just not right. Eric-san is gone and these people will continue to suffer. Was everything we did pointless?" He jumped off from his seat and look at every person present for some answers.

Surprisingly, it was Soma who answered him. "Don't be stupid. At least not everybody was killed and the survivors still have a chance of surviving further."

"Don't fret young God Eater," an old man suddenly said. "Like your comrade said, we are grateful for your help. We have been given a second chance. We'll now be leaving this area and heading towards more populated areas for better protection. I'm sure we'll do fine."

"...I see...," Kouta murmured.

"I hope that we will get to see you God Eaters again, but in different circumstances. And, I'm deeply sorry for your comrade. He and his family will be in our thoughts."

"Good luck to you as well," Lindow said before giving an order to the pilots. "We're returning now."

The helicopter lifted into the sky and the God Eaters could see the survivors waving farewell to all of them.

* * *

The news of Eric's death spread quickly in the Far East Branch. Every staff member and employee were deeply saddened by the news as the Far East Branch entered a state of mourning. On the day after his death, a Fenrir funeral was held at the large auditorium in the adjacent building that was mainly used for important announcements and speeches.

Standing about 50 feet away from the entrance, Yuu watched as countless people dressed in black clothing entered the auditorium.

"It seemed like it has been some time since I attended one of these," Lindow said after he suddenly appeared next to Yuu. He was garbed in black formal clothing like the others. "If only I stopped the Borg faster or if I dug it out faster and retrieved its core. These thoughts filled my mind all of yesterday, but not anymore. Gotta continue forward without regrets, right? It's useless to be bogged down by them."

"Yeah, what's done is done."

"Not heading in?"

"No."

"I see. I'll see you later then."

* * *

Yuu spent his time on the roof of the Den once again and watched listlessly out at the island in the distant. It was quiet and peaceful until the visitor he had been expecting, appeared.

"Why?" Erina quietly asked.

Yuu didn't reply and continued looking at the horizon.

"Why! Why did he had to die? You were with him so why didn't you protect him?" She began angrily pounding her fists on Yuu's back who remained motionless. "You're the legendary _Red Eyes_ so it should've been simple for you to protect and save him! You promised me!" She broke down and cried her heart out at his feet.

Yuu turned his head and reached a hand towards her, but stopped mid-way. "Like I told you, I'm not a hero or anything like that." He had said it quietly under his breath so the crying Erina couldn't even hear him. He then quietly waited. After a few minutes, Erina's butler came and took her away without any complaints.

* * *

While the Far East Branch was still in a state of mourning, Erina's parents arrived from Europe to retrieve Eric's body about 3 days later.

"Herr Kannagi, we meet again, but not in the way I'd like to," Erina's father said when he saw Yuu standing in front of the monument. He was a tall man with a thick mustache.

"Volgelweid-san..."

"How have you been?"

"...Not bad."

"Is that so." Erina's father looked around the area. "This is a nice place. Not what I'd expected from the Far East Branch. Did you know why I sent Eric here?"

"I've heard a few things from him."

"Yes, it's to increase my family's influence. Such a terrible thing for a parent to do, right?" When it seemed like Yuu wasn't going to say anything, he continued. "Was my son a good God Eater? Actually, don't answer that. Only now do I see that there are more important things than power. So, let me change my question. Was my son happy in his last moments?"

Yuu thought back to conversation he had with Erina on the day before the incident. He also recalled Eric's dying words. "Yes, I'm quite sure he was happy." Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Erina's father shed a few tears.

"Thank you for telling me that. I'll be taking my leave now so I hope we can talk again." He patted Yuu's shoulder and before he left, Yuu asked him a question.

"Where's Erina?"

"She's with her mother right now. She'll be returning with us as well. Don't worry about her. She may be upset now, but she's strong so she'll be fine."

After Erina's father left, Yuu took one last look at the monument. "Rest in peace, Eric. You did good."

* * *


	4. Those who Defend Anagura

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The 1st Unit's official missions are placed on hiatus as the members deal with Eric's death. During the hiatus, Yuu worked with the other God Eater units including the 2nd.

**CHAPTER IV: THOSE WHO DEFEND ANAGURA**

** February 19, 2071 **

Despite all of the events that went on in the past few days, Yuu had continued his early morning training everyday without skipping even one day. Kouta had stopped coming to training after the incident with Eric. He'd also shut himself in his room all day too. Yuu didn't blame him. It was expected that a new young God Eater would have psychological and mental issues for having went through such an experience. It took a very strong willpower to overcome it. He didn't think Kouta was that strong, but he was greatly surprised when he saw him standing at the entrance of the training facility, dressed in his usual training clothes.

"What are you doing here?" Yuu asked, suddenly wondering if he was wrong.

"Kannagi-san...I've been thinking and thinking a lot these past few days. And I came to a realization...no a determination."

"And that is...?"

"I want to help people. And not just the regular people whose lives are in danger from the Aragami, but the other God Eaters as well."

"Help the God Eaters...And how will you do that?" Yuu crossed his arms and stared at Kouta with his piercing red eyes.

Not backing down and staring straight back at him, Kouta replied, "I'll become stronger so I can protect them out in the field. I know that I won't be as strong as you or Lindow-san, but I'll try my best. And I guess I could keep on smiling too."

"Smile?" Yuu furrowed his eyebrows and waited for an explanation.

"You know how Eric-san was smiling most of the time? I think it raised everybody's spirits even when things got tough. So you know...the unit's morale stayed up. That's what I'm going to do too."

Yuu reflected on the words he had just heard and thought, _"This guy...just may make something of himself in the future. Not as a capable fighter, but as a capable leader...maybe."_ He lightly grinned after thinking about it. "Then you should work hard and make Volgelweid proud."

"Y-Yes!" Kouta became full of smiles and not even a trace of sadness or depression could be found on his face.

"So? Going to resume training?"

"Yeah!"

* * *

In the next few days, Yuu continued to train with Kouta like it was before. No, there were a few differences. Yuu noticed a newfound fiery intensity and determination from the young God Eater as he struggled with Yuu's spartan routine. There was also no Eric anymore so it was only the two of them.

As for the Far East God Eaters and staff, they continued with their lives as if they had forgotten about the death of their comrade.

"I'm surprised by how everyone had seemed to have forgotten about Eric-san already," Kouta asked Yuu one day after training.

"It's just how it is," Yuu replied. "We God Eaters live a dangerous life so it's not rare for one of us to die in the line of battle. Gotta focus on the mission and nothing else. Otherwise, a lapse in judgment because of emotional baggage will cost you your life and the others around you. If people openly dwelled on the past, then it's going to cause a chain reaction. It's best that you remember that."

"I understand, but it's kind of frustrating at the same time." Kouta looked down at his clenched fists.

"Just because nobody talks about the deceased doesn't mean they are forgotten."

"That's true." Kouta raised his head and looked a bit more cheerful. "What about you, Kannagi-san? Did you ever dwell on the past or bring emotional baggage to battle?"

Yuu was silent for a moment before he said, "Yeah, I do it too."

"Really?" Kouta's eyebrows rose in shock at his response. "I expected of all people, you would be the calm and focused one."

"I bring a lot of emotional baggage to every battle contrary to what most people believe," Yuu quietly spoke to himself. He touched the metal case in his pocket after thinking about the conversation he had with Kouta, a few days prior. There was nobody within earshot of him as he sat on a sofa in the lobby.

While the majority of the Far East Branch had returned to "normal", the same couldn't be said about the 1st Unit. After Eric's death, the 1st Unit's main missions were temporarily suspended for the time being. There were still missions, but of a different variety where the individual members were delegated to supporting the other units in their missions.

On this particular day, Yuu had received orders to assist the 2nd Unit's upcoming mission. Now that he thought about it, he wasn't sure if he had interacted much with the 2nd Unit. The only one he could remember was Tatsumi Omori, the unit's leader. Being a God Eater was tough enough as it is, but being a unit leader was significantly tougher. If they were capable, then they would have a good understanding of their team and can execute good judgment. Battle capability was more of a bonus, but still expected to some degree.

_"I've heard he's quite the leader so I'm looking forward to see what he can do today."_

"Yo, Kannagi," Tatsumi greeted. "Wait long?"

_"Speak of the Devil,"_ he thought, after looking up at the expected smile plastered on Tatsumi's face. "Not really."

"Good. Now let me introduce you to the other members of my unit." He gestured to the young man and woman standing behind him. "This is Sergeant Major Brendan Bardell, the unit's subleader."

The young man wearing a blue jacket and dark colored cargo pants stepped forward. He remained calm and composed as he greeted Yuu, "Please to meet you, First Lieutenant."

"Same here."

"And she is Private Kanon Daiba," Tatsumi gestured to the young woman.

"Nice to meet you again Kannagi-san," she greeted with a smile. "Do you remember me?"

Yuu suddenly recalled talking with her in the elevator on the same day he met Tatsumi. "Yeah."

"I wanted to talk with you more after that day, but you're a pretty difficult person to catch, you know that?"

"Okay, that's enough for now," Tatsumi clapped his hands to get everyone's attention. "We can talk more later on the ride towards our destination."

"Where are we going today, Tatsumi?" Brendan asked.

"Not far as usual. About 10 miles or so to the southwest where we got word that a Borg and three Kongous were seen nearby heading towards Anagura."

"That many?" Kanon exclaimed. "It's more than we usually face."

"I think that's why Captain Amamiya sent Kannagi to help us out. Anyway, let's suit up and meet at the garage."

* * *

As Yuu watched the scenery past by from the back of a pickup truck, he swallowed a pill and drunk it down with water. The other members of the 2nd Unit sat around him and were engaged in a conversation about desserts. Apparently, it was Kanon who had started it.

"Hey Kannagi," Tatsumi suddenly called him.

"What is it?"

"You know, I didn't think that you were such a famous person when I met you."

"I get that a lot."

"I thought so as well!" Kanon added. "I mean, you look very serious and all, but you didn't seem like a very experienced veteran."

"May I ask when did you first join the Far East as a God Eater?" Brendan suddenly asked.

"2062," Yuu curtly replied.

"Nine years...that's a long time. I've only been a member for four years and I think I'm older than you." He raised his eyebrows in surprise.

"Speaking of long years, hasn't Tatsumi-san been a God Eater for a long time as well?" Kanon asked, looking at her leader who was quietly relaxing in the corner.

"That's right," Tatsumi replied. "I joined the Far East in 2063." He scratched his cheek, looking a little embarrassed at the fact.

_"An eight year veteran,"_ Yuu thought to himself. There must be only a handful of people at the Far East with as much experience as Tatsumi. Although, it didn't really surprise him to learn of this fact because he had looked it up earlier.

"I believe you left for headquarters just right before I joined so its a shame that we couldn't meet earlier. Would've been interesting."

"A shame huh..." Yuu mumbled before Kanon then changed the conversation to about the food in the cafeteria.

* * *

Their destination was a somewhat rural area with some old remnants of previous homes and structures. Tatsumi called everyone to huddle together after getting off the truck.

"From what the scouts have just told me, the Kongou group are about half a mile away from the Borg. So the plan's simple. Each of us will take on a Kongou, other than Kanon who will be supporting Brendan. We need to finish them off quickly before the Borg gets wind of us and joins the fight. It'll get messy if that happens. So any questions?" He looked at each person one by one.

"None," Brendan said as he readied his large blade God Arc.

Yuu and Kanon both shook their heads.

"Good, and remember," Tatsumi suddenly said in a serious tone. "Fight not to win, fight to not lose."

Brendan and Kanon both silently nodded their heads in agreement.

"And that goes for you too, Kannagi," Tatsumi ordered with a grin. "Okay, let's do it."

_"An interesting phrase. I think I have a good idea of his leadership style based on that."_

The group ran down a dirt patched road until they climbed a nearby small hill. From there, they could see the Kongou group slowly approaching them from about 100 feet away. Even further to the distant was the Borg which seemed to be standing still.

"First, let's try and scatter those Kongous a bit," Tatsumi suggested. "Once they scatter, we'll attack them as planned. A good shot should do it."

"Then allow me to do it," Kanon volunteered and began loading her launcher type God Arc.

"No!" Tatsumi and Brendan both cried out in unison.

"Why?" Kanon asked in a disgruntled voice.

"Just no," Tatsumi repeated, this time with a shaky smile.

Yuu's eyebrows slightly rose, but he did not inquire any further. "Then, I guess I'll do it," he said, checking the other members' God Arcs and noticing that only him and Kanon could accomplish the task.

"Please do, Kannagi."

Yuu loaded an explosive bullet into his God Arc before crouching down and taking careful aim. His breathing slowed down significantly and then finally, he fired. A loud burst blew out of his God Arc, on a set course to the Kongou in the center. The bullet exploded on impact, greatly agitating the Kongou and its companions.

With a mix of confusion and anger, the Kongous fanned out and searched for their attacker.

"Operation start!" Tatsumi declared as he ran down the hill and towards the Kongou on the right. The rest of the unit then proceeded to their own targets.

* * *

"Daiba, you can keep your distance while I engage the Kongou," Brendan ordered.

"What? Then how am I going to help you?" Kanon asked with displeasure.

_"Trust me, you'll help me more by staying far away,"_ Brendan thought.

"Senpai!" Kanon shouted, her expression becoming quite angry.

Brendan clicked his tongue and said, "Fine. You can provide support fire, but just...don't stand behind me."

"Roger," she replied with a salute.

Brendan sighed and he found himself within attacking range of the Kongou to the far left. "You're not getting past me." He leapt into the air and slammed his heavy blade onto the Kongou's shoulder. The attack knocked the Kongou down, but it wasn't enough to keep it down as it quickly stood back up.

Sensing danger, Brendan leapt out of the way and just as expected, a shot flew past him and onto the Kongou. He sighed inwardly and moved around to the distracted Kongou's rear and began hacking away at its tail. It wasn't long after that the Kongou let out a roar and fell to the ground.

"This is your chance, Daiba!" Brendan shouted.

With a simple nod, Kanon began firing at the fallen Kongou as fast as she could.

Brendan had jumped out of the explosion range and watched the Kongou get enveloped by small explosions from Kanon's bullets. "It shouldn't be long now until it'll go down..." However, to his surprise, the Kongou rose to its feet and leapt high into air and descended onto Kanon's position. "Get out of the way!"

Despite fallen into a state of shock, Kanon was able to avoid the falling Kongou who landed with a heavy thud.

Brendan ran as fast as he could to Kanon's position and when he saw the Kongou raised its fist, he jumped in and blocked the punch with his blade. "Are you okay, Daiba?"

"Y-Yes," Kanon shakily replied. "Please move out of the way so I can attack it."

"Alright, give me a moment." Brendan blocked the next set of powerful quick punches from the Kongou. It went ballistic as it tried to knock him over, but he firmly stood his ground and endured the assault waiting for an opening. Then, it happened. Brendan saw the Kongou paused for a moment as it pulled back its arm further back to deliver a more powerful punch. However, Brendan took quick action and shoved his blade forward, knocking the Kongou back a few feet. "This is your chance!"

After Brendan leapt out of the way, Kanon stepped forward. "Leave it to me, senpai." With several presses of the trigger, her God Arc unleashed a barrage of powerful explosive bullets onto the Kongou. "Take this you big ape! Hahahahah!"

_"Oh god, she's doing it again..."_ Brendan thought as he watched Kanon laugh maniacally while she attacked the Kongou. Suddenly, he saw the Kongou roar in rage and began rolling itself into a ball. As it rapidly spun its body, it seemed to have become invulnerable from the attacks because the bullets were exploding on its durable thick shell. "Stop firing, Daiba!" He shouted once he realized the futility of Kanon's attacks had become.

"What?" Kanon ceased firing when she noticed the Kongou rolling at a high speed towards her.

Brendan quickly jumped in and took the Kongou's attack head on with his blade. His feet slid back a few feet before he rooted his body to the ground like a thick tree trunk. "Don't think you're getting through me." He gritted his teeth and concentrate all of his strength into his arms and legs, all the while the Kongou continued to roll its body at him.

Brendan thought of countermeasures when a bullet then came flying to the Kongou's unprotected side and pierced its arm. The rolling attack came to a stop as the Kongou roared in pain.

"Where did that come from?" Brendan asked aloud. He traced where the bullet had come from and saw Yuu several feet away, approaching them after changing his God Arc from rifle mode to blade mode. "Heh, good timing. Now it's my turn." He hacked at the Kongou who continued to wail in pain.

However, it wasn't over yet because the Kongou opened its mouth wide, preparing to shoot out a wind blast.

"Not on my watch," Brendan declared as he focused his strength and locked his gazed onto the Kongou's head. "Hrggghh!" He jumped up and slammed his heavy blade down to the Kongou's skull, crushing it. Dark liquid flowed out of the Kongou's orifices before its heavy body fell down to the ground with a loud thud. "And that's one Kongou down. Thanks for the help Lieutenant."

"How about meeting up with your leader," Yuu suggested, already moving forward with their mission without any delay.

"Of course. Although, I don't think Tatsumi is in danger or anything."

"That's right," Kanon agreed with a grin. "Our leader's a pretty skilled person you know."

"Is that so?" Yuu said.

Brendan wasn't sure if Yuu was surprised or impressed about what he heard about Tatsumi. His expression was extremely difficult to read. "Anyway, we should still convene with Tatsumi. So let's go."

* * *

Tatsumi silently sighed to himself. _"If none of you guys get here soon, then I'll be the one to cut down this Kongou."_ He swiftly evaded the Kongou's punch and retaliated with several rapid cuts to its arms. Unlike many of the God Eaters at the Den, Tatsumi's God Arc was quite light, a short sword type so his movements were one of the quicker ones, but he was one of the physically weaker ones as a result.

Just like many of the battles he had been in, he had made great use of his speed to withstand intense pressure and attacks from the Aragami. This one was no different as he jumped and cut the Kongou's face. As the Kongou pulled back its body, Tatsumi continued with his assault by attacking its chest. It didn't take long before the Kongou's chest became covered with over a dozen cuts.

Tatsumi ceased his attacks when he felt that the Kongou was planning to do something different. True to his word, the Kongou spun its body around, its tail almost smacked him if he didn't jumped back in time. "Seems like I'm getting too overconfident. Gotta keep my cool or else the 2nd Unit will need another leader," he joked.

The Kongou then stood up tall on its feet and let out a trembling roar that would have froze a rookie God Eater in his tracks, but not Tatsumi. He smiled at his opponent and stared straight into its eyes, as if daring it to try its worst.

With another loud roar, the Kongou sucked in the air around him and blew out a powerful wind blast. Despite its great speed, Tatsumi effortlessly avoided the attack. Undeterred, the Kongou continued to release blast after blast, but just like the first one, they had all missed their targets.

_"I don't think I want to keep this going until it wears itself down, but what should I do...?"_ As Tatsumi thought about a countermeasure, he continued his evasive maneuvers. _"Guess I'll move in at the next opening."_ He concentrated on the Kongou's movements and when he saw it began to suck in its breath, Tatsumi ran toward it with all his might. By the time he was only within a few feet of the Kongou, it released another wind blast, but Tatsumi slid down to the ground, avoiding the attack.

"Take this!" Tatsumi continued through the Kongou's legs and sliced the back of its knees. The deep cuts caused the Kongou to collapse onto its knees, but Tatsumi wasn't done there. With a simple leap, he slammed his blade onto the base of its neck.

The Kongou squirmed in pain as it vigorously shook its body until Tatsumi fell off along with his blade. "Should I attack the same area again?" He muttered.

"There's no need," a voice replied.

Before he could process what had happened right after, Tatsumi saw the Kongou's abdomen impaled by a sharp blade God Arc. At the other end of the blade was Yuu Kannagi.

"Since when did you get here?" Tatsumi asked after the Kongou's lifeless body fell to the ground.

"A bit ago actually," Brendan replied. He and Kanon had came up to him a few seconds after Yuu had. "We thought that by the looks of things, you were handling the situation pretty well so we didn't want to disturb you for the most part." Brendan grinned. "But then Kannagi said that we should end this quickly before the Borg gets here."

"You guys are terrible teammates," Tatsumi mumbled. "I could've died you know."

Brendan disagreed and said, "I doubt it, based on what I saw. But..." He glanced at Yuu who was staring at the distant. "I don't often meet people who could match Tatsumi's speed."

"Yeah, when we finally decided to come down and help, Kannagi-san bolted like a bullet towards the Kongou," Kanon continued. "As expected of a New-Type."

"Really now," Tatsumi mused, his interest piqued. "Anyway, it's now time to take care of that Borg. So I wonder where-"

"It's coming," Yuu announced.

* * *

The ground shook violently around them and it was quite clear that the Borg was coming after them.

"Seems like we were a bit too loud here," Tatsumi commented, without much concern. "Oh well, we were going to look for it anyway so that saves us some time." He took one quick look at his unit and said, "There's only one Borg left so we'll proceed like we have done against that type of Aragami. Got it?"

"Got it!" Brendan and Kanon both replied in unison.

Tatsumi then turned to Yuu. "The basic gist of our plan of assault is that me and Kanon-chan will be drawing the Borg's attention to us while Brendan moves behind it and waits until he gets an opening before delivering a crushing blow to it. And as for you...I think you could fill both types of roles, but I guess you could help me out."

"It's a pretty decent plan," Yuu approved, after taking into consideration of what he saw of Brendan and Tatsumi's abilities.

"Good, then let's begin."

After a few more seconds, the Borg crashed through the nearby trees and entered the same vicinity of the God Eaters. Its long sharp tail slowly moved from left to right as if identifying each of its prey.

Tatsumi went for a preemptive strike and attacked the Borg's claws which then in turn began to swipe at the nimble God Eater.

In the corner of Yuu's vision, he saw Kanon take cover behind a large boulder and Brendan sneaking around the tall grass, circulating towards the Borg's rear. "Guess I got to do my part too," he mumbled. With one quick dash, he caught up to Tatsumi and jumped over the Borg's claws before delivering a powerful cut to the Borg's face.

After the Borg squirmed a bit, it changed its target to Yuu and rapidly thrust its claws at him.

Rather than evade the attacks like Tatsumi had done, Yuu parried each attack and retaliated with several more cuts to its claws.

"Not bad at all, Kannagi," Tatsumi commented with a wide grin before he followed up with his own attacks.

"I could say the same about you," Yuu said. He parried another attack and this time, knocked off a large part of its left claw.

"Good, let's keep this up and finish this battle quickly."

Yuu silently agreed with Tatsumi's intentions and began to think how he should do that. There were several options available to him, but as he thought of the most efficient one, he saw Brendan had gotten behind the Borg and was within striking range.

Brendan's eyes darted left and right as if they were trying to follow the quick moving tail of the Borg. Whatever he was trying to do, he couldn't do it in time because the Borg suddenly spun its body around. As a result, the tail smacked Brendan in the chest and knocked him a few feet back.

"Brendan-kun!" Tatsumi cried out as he avoided the attack and moved back. "Are you alright?"

They couldn't hear Brendan's response, but they could see him getting back up to his feet.

"It seems like he's going to be fine," Yuu determined. "We still have something important to do in front of us."

The Borg brought its claws together and charged towards them like an out of control bus. They jumped out of the way and saw the Borg ran through a couple of trees before turning around to face them again. With a loud shriek, the Borg's tail thrust with lightning speed at Yuu and Tatsumi.

"Whoa, that was close," Tatsumi said as he narrowly dodged the sharp tail. "How about some support fire, Kanon-chan?"

"Yes, sir," Kanon replied from behind the large rock. After climbing on top of it, she rained exploding bullets onto the Borg.

The attack appeared to be effective as the Borg dropped to the ground. Yuu then decided to take this chance and narrow the distance, but he sensed an incoming bullet from behind and leapt out of the way. He took one glance at Kanon who didn't appeared to have noticed, but he felt something unsettling about it. _"Either she's a terrible shooter or...it was on purpose..."_ With that thought, he silently shook his head and found the idea to be ludicrous. "Anyway...continuing from where I left off..." The Borg's tail was sent flying towards his direction and instead of evading, he parried it and dashed forward before unleashing a barrage of slashes to the Borg's claws. It didn't take long before large chunks of the claws broke off, exposing the soft vulnerable flesh underneath.

"Good job, Kannagi," Tatsumi praised with a thumbs up. "Battle's almost over, I can feel it."

The Borg had different plans however, as it jumped high into the air before descending like a heavy meteor. The landing greatly shook the ground and knocked Tatsumi off of his feet, leaving him vulnerable to the Borg who raised its claw at him.

"Don't think so!" A voice roared from the right side of the Borg.

The God Eaters saw Brendan leapt up and slammed his heavy blade down onto Borg's thin legs. The impact crushed two of its legs causing it to collapse once again to the ground.

"Everybody, this is our chance so let's get it!" Tatsumi ordered as he charged forward, but he came to a halt when the Borg's tail began wildly attacking the entire area around it, creating something like a barrier that made it difficult for the God Eaters to penetrate.

Kanon fired an exploding bullet at the Borg, but it was deflected and landed near Tatsumi and Yuu.

"Please cease firing for now, Kanon-chan," Tatsumi pleaded.

"So what's the plan now?" Yuu calmly asked, watching Brendan made a futile attempt to breach the attack by trying to run through it.

Tatsumi cupped his chin with his hand and furrowed his eyebrows. "I guess we just have to break through to the tail and create an opening." He looked at Yuu with a grin on his face. "So, are you up to the challenge?"

"Of course," Yuu replied, returning a half grin of his own.

The two then ran toward the Borg with a surge of speed and once they were within the Borg's area, they penetrated the wild tail barrage. With their swift footwork, they evaded the thrusting tail, their bodies getting closer and closer to the Borg.

Yuu was the first to get within touching distance of the Borg. His presence caused the Borg's claw to reached out and attempted to snap him in two. But, he searched for the claws' exposed flesh that he created earlier and swung his blade at it, slicing off the claw. A shadow then quickly ran past him immediately after. It didn't take him long to see Tatsumi ramming his blade into the Borg's eyes.

The battle was far from over however as the Borg's tail flew towards Tatsumi like a bullet. Taking quick action, Yuu intercepted the attack and deflected it away.

"Take this, Aragami!" Brendan yelled out as he appeared from behind the Borg and chopped off the tail with a focused cut.

"Time to end this, Kanon-chan!" Tatsumi ordered, scattering everybody away from the Borg.

"Leave it to me, Tatsumi-san," Kanon said, taking aim and launching a mortar at the weakened Borg. The mortar exploded upon impact, causing the Borg to shriek in pain under the intense blast.

"Now, it's over," Yuu muttered after a few seconds had gone by and the Borg ceased all movements.

"Good work, as expected of a New-Type indeed," Tatsumi complimented. "You should join the 2nd Unit because we could definitely use a person like you on our team."

"That's right," Kanon agreed with a nod. "We might've suffered some significant injuries if not for your help."

"It's not really my decision to make," Yuu replied with indifference.

"That's true," Tatsumi said. "It's a shame anyway though because you should be leading a team rather than following orders. Isn't that right?" Tatsumi grinned and placed a hand on Yuu's shoulder.

"...Who knows." Yuu gave him a noncommittal reply.

After Brendan retrieved the Aragami cores, the group returned to their pickup truck and then back to the Den.

* * *

A few days had passed after that and Yuu found himself alone with Kouta in the 1st Unit's meeting room, waiting for the other members to arrive. There was apparently going to be an important announcement regarding the Unit.

"So, how was your week?" Kouta asked.

"It was alright," Yuu halfheartedly reply.

"It was an interesting one for me. I got to meet many other God Eaters in this Branch." Kouta began counting with his finger as he recalled his experience. "Let's see...First it was the 3rd Unit, then the 6th Unit and last was the 4th Unit. I think I learn a lot from them. So which Units did you help out with?"

"The 2nd and 3rd Units."

"I know that the 3rd Unit mostly deal with defending Aegis Island and procuring materials for the Aegis Project, but are there any special tasks for the 2nd Unit?"

"They're called the Defense Unit and their main missions are protecting Anagura and its surrounding areas."

"Is that so. And what's your opinion on the two units?"

Yuu crossed his arm and closed his eyes. "The 2nd Unit is mostly skilled, particularly its leader. Despite one weak link, they have good teamwork. And as for the 3rd Unit..." He frowned before he continued. "There's some talent and skill there, but they have terrible teamwork."

Kouta lightly laughed at Yuu's response. "Haha, I think I know what you mean. Well, you must've left some impact on its members. That's probably why Shun continues to challenge you to those duels."

Yuu's frown grew deeper as he recalled the times when Shun Ogawa pestered him until he accepted his duels. It was quite bothersome.

"I would've thought he give up by now considering you keep giving him a beatdown."

"Who's beating who now?" Lindow suddenly asked from the doorway.

"Kannagi-san beating Shun from the 3rd Unit," Kouta replied as a matter of fact.

"Oh that? I heard about it too." Lindow collapsed onto a sofa as Sakuya and Soma entered the room. "I had expected that to happen earlier considering we have a few God Eaters with huge egos."

Sakuya sighed and said, "Yuu-kun, go easy on him okay?"

"No promises," Yuu replied with a shrug.

"Okay, everybody here?" Tsubaki asked once she entered the room, followed by her surprising guest, Director Johannes.

"I have important news," he announced. "So please gather around the table." After everyone had taken their seats, he continued. "As some of you have known, there have been a recent spike in Aragami activity in our region. The danger level has risen as a result so we need to add more skilled manpower to our numbers. That's why I had Kannagi-kun return here. As expected, he has done a spectacular job up till now." He gave Yuu a knowingly glance. "But I think we still need more to protect not only the people of Anagura, but the people of the Far East Region."

"Does that mean a new member will be joining us?" Kouta asked.

"Correct, Fujiki-kun. But it's not just any God Eater. A _New-Type_."

Johannes sudden announcement raised a few eyebrows here and there.

"So we'll get two New-Types at our Branch, huh," Lindow said with an amused smile on his face. "Unprecedented...for us at least."

"That's true," Johannes agreed with a slight nod. "We never had more than two New-Types here. It's difficult to persuade other branches to transfer any of their New-Types, but that's what I had done. So _she's_ coming here from the Russian Branch."

"And when will that be, sir?" Sakuya asked.

A wide grin appeared on Johannes' face. "Tomorrow."

* * *

Later that night, Yuu sat in front of his laptop screen, all lights were turned off which darkened most of the room. His eyes were closed as he was deep in thought about what had happened earlier in the day. After murmuring something, his eyes flashed opened and he began to type in a few keys.

"A New-Type...from Russia. Does it have anything to do with _that_?" He scratched his head and leaned back in his chair. "Probably not, but I need to make sure." He frowned and continued typing.


	5. The Girl from Russia

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The 1st Unit gets a new member and they are immediately sent on a mission to exterminate several Aragami.

**CHAPTER V: THE GIRL FROM RUSSIA**

After the bus came to a screeching stop, the driver opened its doors and announced, "Final Stop! Fenrir Far East Branch. Everybody out!"

The sole passenger, a young woman with shiny silver hair woke up with a yawn. Still in a daze, she rubbed her eyes and blinked repeatedly before getting off. As the bus left the area, the girl looked up in awe at the large Fenrir building at the end of the road.

"So this is the Far East Branch. I'll admit, it's a bit more impressive than what I'd originally thought it would be...but why is it so hot here?!" She shouted at the sky before wiping the sweat that had accumulated on her forehead. She then lowered the tip of her red flat cap to block some of the sunlight. Hoping that the facility had adequate air conditioning, she quickly headed down the road and towards the Fenrir building.

* * *

On this particular day, Yuu found himself manning the reception desk. This unusual situation came about as he was strolling through the lobby thinking about getting a quick bite to eat when somebody called out to him.

"Oh Kannagi-san, can you do me a favor?"

"Takeda..." He muttered when he saw Hibari waving her hand. "What favor?"

"The truth is, I need to deliver some reports to the Unit leaders so can you help out at the reception desk while I finish my errand?"

Yuu was about to mention that he should be the one to deliver the reports, but stopped when he realized that was more of a hassle. Instead, he asked, "Why me?"

"There isn't any other Fenrir employees around until I saw you."

Yuu looked around the lobby and found it quite deserted. A rare occurrence.

"So can you help me out?" She made large puppy eyes in an attempt to appeal to his kindness.

He scowled for a few seconds before he sighed and gave in. "Alright, but just for a few minutes, okay?"

"Thanks, I'll be back in a moment." She flashed him a smile before dashing away.

Yuu silently groaned and then went behind the receptionist desk. He sat down with a thud and crossed his arms. After ten minutes, he had only helped out the few people who dared to enter his negative aura and assumed the risk of getting their head chomped off.

It didn't seem like Hibari was returning anytime soon so he was about to forcefully get someone else to switch with him until he saw a young silver haired girl enter the lobby.

_"…I sense trouble incoming."_

* * *

The young girl entered the lobby and immediately relish in the cool breeze that enveloped her entire body.

"Much better. Now where do I go?" She looked around the lobby and didn't see anyone except a person behind what appeared to be the receptionist's desk. "Guess I'll start there." She continued into the lobby and this time, got a much better look at the person behind the desk.

 _"Is he the receptionist?"_ If she didn't notice the small sign that said "Receptionist" on the table, then she wouldn't have thought the person in front of her was a receptionist. For one, he was wearing combat gear and he neither smiled nor appeared welcoming. Rather, he had on a deep frown and crossed his arms like a disgruntled worker. Then she noticed the red armlet on his left wrist. _"So he's a God Eater, but why he's at the receptionist's desk? Maybe the Far East is lacking in personnel so even God Eaters have to fill other positions."_ She shook her head disappointedly.

"Umm, I'm Alisa Ilinichina Amelia and I should be expected," she said to the young man. For a moment, she thought he'd reacted to her name, but it may of have been her imagination.

"Amelia, huh," the young man responded in a low tone, his eyes narrowing.

"W-What is it?" She asked, suddenly realizing he was looking her over with his piercing red eyes.

When his gaze finally came to a stop around her chest, he said, "You have interesting taste in fashion."

"Wha-?" She looked down at her short black top that exposed her slim midriff while the partial split in the middle had created a risqué appearance. Her face became beet red as she realized what he was staring intently at with his expressionless eyes. "Stop looking pervert."

"I don't want to be told that by someone who exposes so much of her skin," he retorted.

"I-It's not like I want to dress this way." She wrapped her arms around her chest and explained, "Before I arrived in the Far East, I didn't think that it'd be so hot here so I didn't packed any light clothing. And the only clothing store that I found when I arrived...had these type of clothes." She murmured the final part of her explanation, her face still quite red.

"Hmmm...is that so," he mumbled, displaying an annoyingly lack of interest.

"Of course!" She gritted her teeth and slammed her palms down onto the desk, infuriated at the person in front of her. She also narrowed her own eyes and glared back at him.

To her surprise though, it was he who broke the tension when he sighed and said, "Amelia, right?"

"...Huh? Ah, yes." Her anger quickly dissipated when he suddenly called out her name.

He placed the phone up to his ear and punched in a few buttons. "Tsubaki? Yeah, _she's_ here...Okay, I'll send her down." He hung up the phone and said, "Head to the elevator on your left and go down one floor. Captain Amamiya will be waiting for you there."

"O-Okay."

"Do you need an escort?"

"No thanks!" She exclaimed, her anger suddenly returned in an instant. "I can find it myself."

* * *

After watching the young girl angrily storm off, Yuu let out a sigh.

_"Trouble indeed."_

"So how did it go?" Hibari asked after she returned from her errand a few minutes later.

"Troublesome," he muttered.

She chuckled at his response and regained her position as receptionist. "Thanks for the help anyway. I'll be sure to ask for your help again."

Yuu gave her a look and then said, "Please don't."

After taking a few steps towards the same elevator the girl took, he remembered that he still didn't eat anything yet. So instead, he took a detour to the cafeteria and ordered a simple fried rice dish. _"They can wait for a few more minutes."_

As he ate his meal, he overheard two people talking from a nearby table. Even though it seemed like they were trying to keep the details of their conversation a secret by whispering, they didn't do a very good job as Yuu heard practically all of it. They likely didn't even realized Yuu was even there.

"I'm surprised that _guy_ hasn't been kicked out of the Far East Branch yet."

"Yeah. With him around, we're just going to get more dead God Eaters."

"How many has it been already? 8, 10? I think I lost count."

"Eric was a pretty cool guy. It's a shame that he was placed on the same team as that _guy_."

"I know right? I wonder who it's going to be next. Anyway, it's time we get back to work."

When the two of them left the cafeteria, Yuu reflected on their conversation. _Just what was that all about?"_ It was probably none of his business so he stopped thinking about it. Instead, he looked around the table for his napkin, but then realized that he had forgotten to grab one.

"Take mine," a voice said.

"Thanks." He grabbed the napkin and wiped his mouth.

"No problem, Red Eyes."

Yuu looked up at the person who helped him and saw a smiling young man. He wore a black dress shirt and blue jeans. His wide smile reminded Yuu of Tatsumi, although, there was something different about him compared to the 2nd Unit's leader.

"I don't believe we have met yet," the young man said. "I'm Shen Li, a corporal and a member of the 4th Unit."

"4th Unit?"

"Correct, the 4th Unit that you'll be leading soon I suppose."

Yuu made a soft murmur in response and as he thought about what else to say, Shen leaned in as if trying to relay a secret to him.

"The New-Type that's coming in today will be joining the 1st Unit, right?"

Yuu's eyebrows slightly rose. "I didn't think that there have been an official announcement to anyone outside of the 1st Unit. It seems rumors spreads faster here than I expected."

Shen grinned and said, "Well, not really, but I do keep my ears opened." He placed a hand around his ear as if listening to something from far away. "I hear a lot of things around this Fenrir Branch. Even things about _you_."

"Oh? And what kind of things?" Yuu maintained his poker face and gave nothing away.

Shen stood up and took a step back. "Just a _few_ things. Nothing that important I think." He smiled again and continued, "Anyway, I think it's about time I also get back to work. If you're looking for some information, then I'm your guy. And I hope that we'll be able to work together soon." He extended his hand out towards Yuu who shook it. With a wave, he quickly left the room.

Yuu finished off his lunch and said, "I think it's about time I head back too."

"Not so fast, Kannagi-kun."

Yuu turned to his left and saw Paylor approaching him. He too had a wide grin on his face. "You're not related to Shen Li, right?"

"Huh? No, of course not. Why would you think that?"

"Oh, no particular reason."

"Hmm." Paylor raised his eyebrows.

"Did you need something from me?" Yuu asked, after Paylor was silent for a while.

"Ah yes. Seems like we have good news today."

"...You mean the New-Type who arrived?"

"You guessed it!" Paylor was more ecstatic than usual, his smile growing wider as the seconds ticked by. "To have more New-Types here at this branch will allow me to see first hand of how New-Types develop and perform. Of course, we still have you, but the more people to study, the better."

"You could just forget about me and focus on her instead," Yuu suggested.

"Not in a million years," Paylor rejected the idea. "I'm sure there's still a lot of interesting data for me to uncover from you. In fact, I'm fascinated at the data that I gathered since you'd returned. You consistently performed at a high level, but...I wonder if you can go further." He smiled and gave Yuu a knowingly look.

"Who knows," Yuu nonchalantly replied. "I'll be taking my leave now." As Yuu began walking out of the cafeteria, he heard Paylor utter a final remark.

"In light of this recent development, I would really like to know how two New-Types interact with each other on the battlefield."

* * *

As Alisa rode down the elevator, the anger from her earlier encounter was still fresh on her mind. "Hahhh, I hope I don't run into that guy anymore. My initial experience with the Far East is already low enough as it is." She paused for a moment and then looked at her clothes. "...It's not that bad is it?"

On the contrary, she did found the clothes to be quite cute. In Russia, she didn't have many chances to wear these type of thin layered clothing. Honestly, it's because the Russian Branch was a usually cold place and it would be ludicrous to wear these on a daily basis. "Now, if only there wasn't this split in the middle." She pulled the bottom part of her top, but it did nothing to change her appearance. "At least the breeze flowing through them feels good." On the top of her dislike list was the heat outside so she was quite pleased that the ventilation inside the building was very sufficient.

The elevator came to a stop and after she stepped through the doors, she saw an older woman waiting just outside of it. She couldn't help but notice that the woman's exposed cleavage revealed a rather large pair of breasts that made her own feel quite small.

"Amelia, I presume," the woman said.

"Ah, yes."

"I'm Captain Tsubaki Amamiya and I supervise the God Eater Units here at the Far East Branch."

"Pleased to meet you, Private Alisa Ilinichina Amelia reporting for duty." She extended a hand which Tsubaki shook.

"Good, now follow me."

The two walked down the corridor and then Tsubaki asked, "How was your flight, Amelia?"

"The flight was great. I had no issues with it."

"That's good to hear."

After they walked past a few researchers, Tsubaki continued, "I believe the Far East Branch is quite different from the Russian Branch in terms of its layout, correct?"

"Yes, the Russian Branch is different, particularly these hallways..." Alisa's eyes grew large and wide as she scanned the area. "...All look the same."

"It might seem confusing at first, but you'll get use to it," Tsubaki said with a smile. She rounded a corner and stepped in front of a door. "And here we are. Let's hurry. I'm sure the others are already waiting for you."

Alisa entered the room and immediately saw 4 people inside. There was a young woman who was wearing a black garment that dangerously revealed parts of her breasts from the side. She was admonishing the man who sat next to her because his feet were on the table.

 _"Does every female in the Far East wear such revealing clothes?"_ It was odd, but she strangely felt much better after meeting these women.

There was also a young man wearing a blue coat and hood in the corner. He gave her one short glance before turning away without any interest, reminding her of the person at the receptionist's desk earlier.

Lastly, the final person was another young man who smiled brightly at her. He got up from his seat and approached Tsubaki.

"Captain, is she the new member?"

Tsubaki nodded. "Where's Kannagi?"

"I think he's still eating or on his way now."

Tsubaki frowned. "I'm sure he'll be here soon so we'll just start the introductions for now. And Lindow, get your feet off the table."

"Y-Yes Tsubaki-ne-, I mean Captain Amamiya," Lindow complied with a wry smile.

After Tsubaki scowled at him for a moment, she told Alisa to introduce herself.

"I'm Alisa Ilinichina Amelia and I've only been a God Eater for a few months. I'm also a New-Type God Eater from the Russian Branch, but I transferred here to get valuable experience."

"I'm Kouta Fujiki. I actually just joined myself." Kouta vigorously shook hands with her. "By the way, how old are you, Alisa?"

"15."

"Really? Me too. Seeing as how we're the same age, just call me Kouta."

"S-Sure."

"As for me, I'm Corporal Sakuya Tachibana," she greeted. "I'm the 1st Unit's sub-commander and I'm fine with you calling me by my first name."

"I'll do that."

"As for the guy in the corner, he's Soma."

At the sound of his name, Soma turned his head and glance once more at Alisa.

"Don't worry about him. He's very anti-social so don't take it to heart. And as for..." Sakuya turned her head to Lindow who quickly jumped out of his seat.

"Call me The Great One!" Lindow exclaimed before Tsubaki smacked him in the back of his head with her hand.

"What was that, Lieutenant?"

Lindow loudly cleared his throat and said in a low tone, "I'm Lindow Amamiya, the commander of this motley crew."

"Well, that's everyone except..." Tsubaki trailed off as the door opened and in walked the young man who was at the receptionist's desk.

"You!" Alisa suddenly shouted. "The pervert from earlier!"

"Huh?" The young man said, appearing unfazed by the comment.

"What's this?" Lindow asked with excitement and placed an arm around the young man. "I always knew you were hiding a lecherous side, but I didn't have any evidence until now. So you're already targeting the new girl."

The young man knocked Lindow's arm off and said, "Don't be stupid. I'm not you."

"W-Wait...don't tell me...you're a member of this Unit?" Alisa stammered as she pointed a shaky finger at the young man.

"He sure is," Kouta replied with a large grin.

"Yuu Kannagi is the final member of this unit," Tsubaki explained. "Like you, he's a New-Type."

"Yuu Kannagi?" Alisa repeated out loud.

"Is there a problem?" Yuu asked.

"No," Alisa replied in a quite voice. _"Isn't Yuu Kannagi the one known as Red Eyes? Why is he here? Last I heard he was in Europe. I guess I should read the reports more often."_

"Kannagi isn't actually a permanent member of the 1st Unit," Tsubaki continued. "He'll transfer to the 4th Unit and lead it soon. Amelia, you'll also be only a temporary member for the 1st Unit. As to where you'll transfer to, I'll have to think about it."

"I see," Alisa replied.

"Now, back to business." Tsubaki loudly clapped her hands to get everybody's attention. "We have a mission so pay attention." She turned on the monitor that detailed the specifics.

* * *

"It's pretty packed now, isn't it?" Lindow commented from the back of the pickup truck. The entire 1st Unit were squeezed together along with their large God Arcs leaving very little extra room.

Immediately to Yuu's right was Alisa, who he noticed was actively maintaining the distance between them.

"When we have this many members participating in a mission, we usually travel by air so we don't deal with space issues like this," Sakuya explained.

"Was there even a need for all of us to be here at all?" Soma asked, a clearly annoyed by the circumstances based on the tone of his voice.

Lindow scratched his head. "Not really," he admitted. "But since we have a new member today, I just want everyone to be here...even though not everybody will be participating."

"What does that mean?" Kouta asked, looking a little nervous.

"The intel said that there's just minor Aragami such as Ogretails and Zygotes. Shouldn't be a problem to deal with so I think only 3 people will be needed."

"And these three people are?" Soma asked with a frown.

"Obviously, it's going to be the three lowest ranked members," Lindow replied with a grin. "Private Kouta, Private Alisa and of course, Corporal Soma."

Soma groaned out loud. "I should've figured. So you want me to baby sit _them_?"

Kouta didn't say anything in response, but became a bit red in embarrassment. Alisa on the other hand, scowled at his statement.

"You could say that. But I don't think they'll hold you back. Kouta's been showing improvement over the last few battles and Alisa is a New-Type. We all know how well those types perform, right?"

All eyes turned to Yuu who stared listlessly off into the horizon.

"Um, isn't it still dangerous with just us three?" Kouta timidly asked. It seemed like he was still concerned about what happened in their last big mission together.

As if understanding Kouta's concerns, Lindow said, "Don't worry. You have _guardian angels_ watching over you guys."

* * *

"So we're here," Lindow announced as the pickup truck carrying the 1st Unit had come to a stop.

They were on a hill overlooking some ruins of an old city. Collapsed buildings and destroyed vehicles covered much of this quiet area which was once likely a busy and robust place.

"I don't see any Aragami," Kouta said as he scanned the horizons. "How about everybody else?"

"They're here, I can feel them," Soma mumbled.

Lindow rubbed his chin as he look down into the ruins. "Okay, I don't have much of a plan for this one so Soma, you'll just lead the group down and scour the area. Take out any Aragami you see. Everybody, keep your eyes and ears opened. Remain alert and stick together. Don't run off by yourself and do something stupid." He eyed Soma after he said that last bit. "Got it?"

"Yes!" Kouta and Alisa both replied in unison.

"Good, now off you go." Lindow waved them away before lighting a cigarette.

"Do you think it was such a good idea letting them go off by themselves?" Sakuya asked after the vanguard group left. "I know what you said earlier, but Kouta-kun is still a young rookie. Soma-kun may be capable as a God Eater, but he's not interested in leading. And Alisa-chan may be a New-Type, but she lacks experience."

Lindow took a whiff of his cigarette and pondered what Sakuya had just said. "True, but I believe they will do just fine. I'm sure Soma will keep them safe because he'll want to show that he's no _Shinigami_."

"Shinigami?" Yuu asked, looking a little surprised by that name.

"For a long time now, most God Eaters that he had fought along side with had ended up dead," Sakuya explained. "What's also unusual is that he's the only the survivor when the death occurs. Because of these events, people have begun spreading rumors that death follows wherever he goes. I think people were also talking about it after Eric-kun died."

_"I guess I now know what those guys were talking about earlier."_

"Those rumors are all ludicrous," Lindow spat. "Just a string of coincidences. That's why I have faith in him to lead a small team."

Sakuya smiled at Lindow's response and did not say anything more.

"What about you, Yuu?" Lindow asked. "Do you think they'll be in trouble? What about Kouta? I know he's been training with you for the past few days."

Yuu looked in the direction where the three had left and said, "He'll be fine. As well as the other two…I think."

* * *

Alisa followed after Soma who descended down the slope with relative ease. Not allowing herself to be outdone on her first day at the Far East, she stuck close to him without missing a step. A few feet behind her was Kouta who took a more careful approach in his descent. _"It's clear that he hasn't been a God Eater for long. But I don't think he'll die or anything since we're just fighting Ogretails and Zygotes. The brooding one called Soma seems to be more experienced. I don't think I can work well with him though."_ She sighed and finally reached the bottom.

"Um, do you have any plan or strategy?" Kouta asked after he had caught up to them.

Soma shot him an annoyed look. "I'm not a leader like Lindow and that New-Type so don't expect anything from me. Just stick close to me and don't get in my way."

"R-Right."

Alisa silently sighed when she saw the exchange. It occurred to her that she probably should take the lead, but then she never had any experience leading nor she even felt confident doing it. _"Hopefully Soma will get his act together."_

With not much else to do, she observed her crumbling surroundings. Many of the once tall buildings were shattered, revealing the insides of several office rooms and even residential apartments. From pieces of crumpled papers to broken appliances, there were a lot of trash scattered around her. At the corner of her eye, she noticed something near her foot. It was an old stuffed pink rabbit who was covered with dirt and had various open stitches on its body. _"I hope your owner is alive and well."_

A roar then echoed throughout the ruins that froze the three God Eaters in their tracks.

"Was that what I think it was?" Kouta asked, his eyes darting all over the place.

"Probably the Ogretails," Alisa replied, readying her God Arc.

Soma narrowed his eyes and concentrated on the northwest building. Parts of it were collapsed onto the streets which blocked the open path to the other side. "It came from over there." He held out his thumb in the building's direction and began walking towards it with a relaxed stride.

"Wait!" Kouta suddenly called out. "Let me go ahead and determine their numbers."

His suggestion took Alisa by surprised because she thought that he wasn't the type to take initiative or even willing to volunteer himself for a dangerous job.

Soma too appeared quite surprise by the sudden development even though there was a scowl on his face. It looked like he was about to refuse Kouta's suggestion, but he must've saw something in Kouta's eyes that changed his mind because he said, "If that's what you want, then hurry and do it."

"Y-Yes." Kouta saluted and jogged toward the building with a newfound confident stride. When he reached the entrance, he positioned his back to the wall and slowly leaned his body into the building, scanning the room inside. It didn't look like he saw anything important so he disappeared into the dark area leaving Alisa and Soma behind.

The sounds around them seemed to have left the area along with Kouta. It was so silent that Alisa could hear her own heart beating in her chest. She wasn't sure if she was afraid or simply nervous at the situation. Although, she rebuked herself for thinking about it because she remembered that this was what she had expected when she became a God Eater. _"There's no need for useless thoughts. Just concentrate on the mission."_

She glanced at Soma who leaned against the wall, arms crossed and watching where Kouta had left from the corner of his eye. While she was wondering what he was thinking, she heard Kouta's voice whispering through her earpiece.

_"Uh, I see them. They don't know that I'm here so I'm safe for the moment."_

"What do you see and how many are there?" Soma asked, a hint of irritation could be heard in voice.

_"O-Oh right. Ogretails and Zygotes, just like we heard."_

"Then let's go take them out." Soma moved to convene with Kouta while Alisa trailed closely behind.

They entered the dark building and found their path to the other side blocked by a large pile of rubble.

"How did he get out of here?" Alisa whispered.

"Psst, over here guys." Kouta whispered back from the other side of the rubble.

The two turned their attention to the corner of the room which happened to be the darkest part of their surroundings. They examined the corner, but couldn't see anything until they saw Kouta's arm reaching out of a hole.

"I'm surprised that you were able to find this opening," Alisa commented after she crawled through.

Kouta grinned and said, "Lately, I've been trying to pay a lot of attention to my surroundings. Never know what I would miss if I didn't do it. That's probably how I found this opening.

"I see..." Alisa trailed off as she realized that they were inside a hotel. Not like one of those grand hotels with sparkling floors and golden chandeliers atop a high ceiling. Just a rather ordinary run of the mill one that could be found in some urban cities. As expected, the room was as tidy as the other ones they had seen from the streets outside.

At this point, Soma didn't wait for Kouta as he marched off on ahead towards the large steel double door. He hesitated for a moment before he reached for the door knob and pulled the door opened. Suddenly, an Ogretail's head shot through them with a loud roar and almost bit Soma's arm if he didn't cut off its head in time.

After the Ogretail's body dropped to the floor, Alisa noticed that her right arm was slightly trembling so she grabbed onto it with her left hand and forced the trembling to stop. _"I didn't even see the Aragami coming."_ With gritted teeth, she saw Kouta who much to her relief, was a bit shaken up too.

"That was pretty scary, but we're lucky to have Soma here with us right, Alisa?"

"Huh? Oh, y-yeah. He seems to be pretty capable."

"Yup, Unit 1 is full of capable people…other than me of course." He had a large grin on his face all all traces of his previous tension seemed to have disappeared.

"Quit your yapping and let's go," Soma lightly growled before slowly peering his head through the doors and surveying the area. "I'm sure the other Aragami had heard the attack and are on their way here. I don't want them to get the jump on us so let's quickly move out."

"Yes sir," Kouta said, hurrying to Soma while Alisa brought up the rear.

They exited the building and scurried down a small alley behind it. Alisa could hear footsteps getting close to them. Judging by the large frowns on their faces, she assumed that Soma and Kouta had heard it too.

* * *

The other Unit 1 members remained on standby as they overlooked the young rookies from the top of the hill.

"Seems like Kouta has potential to be a good scout," Lindow commented with a grin. "Where do you supposed he picked up those skills?"

"Probably when he was working with the 4th Unit," Yuu replied.

"Ah, then that makes sense. We do have great scouts in that Unit."

"What I also find surprising was that he seemed to have learned a lot in such a short time," Sakuya added as she put down her binoculars.

"Too bad he doesn't show potential in any other area," Yuu mumbled.

Lindow and Sakuya both let out a small laugh without arguing against him.

"Well, so far so good," Lindow said, peering through his binoculars. "I don't really think anything's going to happen…but you never know? If something does come up, then it's good that we have excellent guardian angels, right?"

Sakuya nodded while Yuu lightly grunted before they quickly separated into different directions.

When Lindow found himself alone, he took a whiff of his cigarette and said, "It's good to have talented subordinates."

* * *

"Stop," Soma ordered.

The group suddenly halted right before they got out of the alleyway and into a large clearing. Seems like they were in a park based on all of the dead grass covering the area. There were also jungle gyms, slides, benches and even a once majestic fountain at the center. Several tall buildings surrounded the area, their large shadows casted across the area.

Soma closed his eyes and said, "They're close…and all coming from the same direction. That's good for us."

"So you're suggesting that if we fight them out here, we won't get ambushed from behind?" Alisa asked.

"Exactly. We're going to hit them fast so they won't have any time to surround us."

"Then what should _we_ do?" Kouta asked, glancing at Alisa.

Soma scratched his head with a frown on his face. "I guess just shoot at any of them that gets past me." Before Kouta or Alisa had any time to voice any objections, Soma announced, "They're here." He ran out of the corner and struck down an Ogretail from its side after it appeared from a nearby building.

The attack caused most of the twenty Ogretails from the same building to descend upon Soma. The other Ogretails had chosen to ignore him and instead, head towards Alisa and Kouta who were now in the open and had their backs to the building wall. The Zygotes were also descending on them as well.

"Ohhh man, they're coming after us now!" Kouta exclaimed as he drew his God Arc and took aim.

"Y-You don't need to tell me that!" Alisa hesitated a moment before she took a few steps in front of Kouta and began firing at the incoming Ogretails. Her God Arc's gun form was a semi-auto type which allowed her to unload dozens of bullets within seconds. Despite that, several of the Ogretails were able to traverse the hail of bullets and continued their approach.

"Let me help too," Kouta said as he began firing at the nearest Ogretails. While his rate of fire isn't as great as Alisa's God Arc, the bullets had more weight and was able to slow the Ogretails down, at least for the ones that were actually shot.

"Take care of the Zygotes instead. Leave the Ogretails to me."

"Got it." Kouta changed his targets to the floating Zygotes and began firing at them. His accuracy wasn't very good because only about 3 out of every 10 shots had made contact.

 _"He's no marksman, that's for sure."_ She increased her concentration and made her sure that the Ogretails did not get any closer.

As the seconds flew by, the Ogretails and Zygotes continued to fall to their barrage of bullets until the Zygotes were all destroyed. There weren't many Zygotes to begin with. Alisa blew a sigh of relief and felt that her nerves were beginning to calm down and that the battle was now under control. _"That wasn't too bad now, was it?"_

It was that moment when she felt a dangerous presence nearby. Her gazed quickly flew from one point to another until she saw that an Ogretail had quietly appeared a few stories above them, its head peering out a window. "Above us!"

"Wha-?" Kouta looked up and saw the Ogretail that had already leapt out of the window and down towards them.

Alisa jumped out of the way and noticed that Kouta had done the same, barely avoiding the Aragami that landed with a heavy thud. Due to the interruption, the Ogretails were able to continue with their advance and got within a mere few feet away from the two God Eaters. _"There's no other choice."_ Alisa changed her God Arc to a crimson red blade and charged at the nearest Ogretail. "Hyaaaa!" With a few cuts from her blade, she quickly struck down an Ogretail before evading to her left and attacking another small group of Ogretails. Her wild swings had kept most of the Ogretails at bay, but one of them was not deterred.

It leapt up and knocked her down to the ground with an attack from its talons. Then, its large jaw opened wide and barred its sharp teeth at her.

"Alisa!" Kouta shouted before he fired a shot at the Ogretail, knocking it away from her. He didn't stop there as he continued to fire at the other Ogretails who were beginning to surround her. His attacks didn't all make contact, but it was enough to buy Alisa some time to get back on her feet.

"Tssst," she winced in pain and saw a cut on her left arm. _"Must've been when that Ogretail knocked me down."_ Luckily for her, the pain wasn't severe so she was able to focus her attention away from it and onto the Ogretails. Along with Kouta's support, her wild swings and somewhat agile movements were enough to down a number of Ogretails. It wasn't long after until only a few remained standing.

Before they could attack these remaining ones, a dark beastly head appeared and began devouring one of the Ogretails.

"Still not finished even with two of you?" A voice called out.

"Soma-san," Kouta said, a look of relief appeared on his face.

"Hmph." With a few swings, Soma effortlessly dispatched the remaining Ogretails. "And that's-." He was cutoff as a loud high pitch cry rang throughout the city.

"W-What was that?" Kouta quietly asked, his body slightly trembling as he looked around.

A heavy silent, then, the sound of glass shattering nearby. Alisa's eyes darted to the building to her right and saw a large object launched through a window near the top. It flew straight up into the sky before descending like a comet. Without waiting to see what it was, her body moved on its own and made her jump out of harm's way.

The object was a tall dark gray skinned Aragami with wide wings. Standing a little over ten feet tall, the bird-man like Aragami towered over them menacingly.

"What is that?!" Kouta cried out.

"…Chiyou," Alisa quietly replied under her breath.

"Take this!" Soma quickly leapt up and swung his blade at it from behind.

However, one of its odd hands at the tip of its wing, caught the blade and deflected it.

By now, Alisa had shakily gotten back to her feet and created some distance from it. _"Calm down. It's just a Chiyou by itself. Not too difficult. We outnumber it."_

As if the Chiyou could read her mind, it appeared to have smiled before another cry echoed throughout the area. Not one, but two Chiyous appeared from behind the buildings on the other side of the plaza. The three Chiyous then flew across the park at a high rate of speed, forcing the God Eaters to constantly dodge from one direction to another. It was as if the Chiyous were toying with their meal before eating it.

"What should we do, Soma-san?" Kouta asked as a Chiyou just flew over his head. If he was a few inches taller, then his head would have been gone.

Instead of replying, Soma continued to dodge the Chiyous while trying to land a hit on them. After missing several times, he gritted his teeth in frustration.

Alisa too, was feeling the intense pressure that the battle had just become. _"We're going to just die at this rate so we got to do something!"_ Without thinking anything else, she went onto autopilot and began firing at the Chiyou closest to her. While it glided throughout the air, it avoided all of her shots and began to descend directly down at her.

_"Don't worry, you guys have guardian angels from above, remember?"_

The three God Eaters heard Lindow's calm voice through their ear piece. Before they could asked what he was talking about, two loud shots fired from two faraway areas of the city. The next moment, one of the Chiyou screamed in pain as two objects made contact with its wings.

* * *

While the two rookie God Eaters and Soma were battling the Aragami, Yuu and Sakuya each went to a different vantage point where they could see what was happening. Yuu wasn't exactly sure where Sakuya's location was, but he believed that she wasn't anywhere close to him. Likely at the opposite side of the city. As for Yuu, he ascended to the top floor of a tall building that gave him an almost a decent view of the park. From the window, he observed the progress and condition of the battle.

Yuu and Sakuya had both relayed what they had seen to Lindow who eventually decided to give the order to help out.

"Aim for the wings," Yuu ordered. "I got the left one."

 _"And I got the right one,"_ Sakuya confirmed.

They timed their attacks perfectly so that they had easily knocked one of the Chiyous to the ground with their opening shots. It didn't stop there as they continued to fire bullet after bullet at the fallen Chiyou. Its wings, limbs, and torso all received notable injuries from their accurate sniping. After a few seconds since they began, the Chiyou's movements slowed significantly and it seemed to have fallen in despair as it attempted to fly away.

"It's out of my line of sight," Yuu said as the Chiyou disappeared behind a building. "Do you still have it in your sight?"

 _"I do…Hold on a moment,"_ Sakuya replied.

He heard a few gunshots before he was able to see the Chiyou again. It seemed like Sakuya had lead it close to its original location with a few well aimed shots. "Good, it's time to finish it."

_"I agree. So on three then. One…Two…Three!"_

Yuu pulled the trigger and a bullet pierced the Chiyou's chest while another bullet had shot right through its head. After squirming for a moment on the ground, it breathed its last breath.

_"One down."_

_"Let's let the others handle the remaining ones,"_ Lindow ordered. _"I think they'll be fine, but in case something does come up, you guys know what to do."_

_"Roger that. But to think that you're also a good sniper as well, Yuu."_

"I'm good enough to get by," Yuu said with a shrug. He could hear Sakuya chuckling through his ear piece.

_"You've really changed. And I don't mean it in a bad way."_

_"How about we save the chit chat for later and pay attention to the battle?"_ Lindow suggested.

_"I don't want to hear that from you since you're likely just kicking back while you listen in to the radio chatter."_

_"Well, I won't deny that."_

* * *

Alisa watched in awe at the two shots that easily brought the Chiyou down to the ground. Especially when she couldn't even land one hit.

 _"Let Yuu and Sakuya take care of that one,"_ Lindow ordered. _"Soma, you take care of the second one. And Alisa and Kouta will get the third one."_

"Yes sir!" Kouta said as he ran towards Alisa. "So what's the plan?"

"Plan? Uh…" She raised her eyebrows and looked at the Chiyou nearest them who was no longer flying in the air. It was probably because the sudden attack had taken it by surprised. "I'll get in and fight it up close while you maintain your distance and provide support fire."

"I could do that."

"Good." Alisa changed her God Arc to blade form and charged at the Chiyou. When she got within distance, she swung her blade at its thigh and landed a hit.

The Chiyou let out a cry and grabbed Alisa with its hand.

"Alisa!" Kouta screamed and began firing at the Chiyou who raised its arm up as if getting ready to slam Alisa into the ground. However, one of Kouta's bullet had caused the Chiyou to loosen its grip, dropping Alisa to the ground.

 _"I have to be more careful because I don't think I'm going to be so lucky next time."_ Alisa thought before getting back to her feet and assuming a defensive stance.

Instead of trying to grab Alisa this time, the Chiyou created some kind of yellow energy orb of light in its hand. With a simple flick of its wrist, the orb of light flew at her.

She was ready this time so she leapt to the left and avoided the orb of light. Her counterattacked consisted of a few rapid slashes to the Chiyou's wings. She could've attacked a few more times, but she remained cautious and went back on the defensive. Her tuition was correct as the Chiyou rapidly spun its body around, creating a powerful offensive and defensive skill. It then chased after her like an intense twister, destroying everything in its path.

At this point, all Alisa could do was to retreat and get out of its path with various back dashes and jumps. It wasn't an easy task because one wrong move, she could trip and get dragged into the vortex. The fact that the twister was even emitting some kind of force that was pulling her in.

"I don't think my bullets are doing any damage!" Kouta cried out after he retreated to a safe distance and resumed his attacks from afar.

"Just keep shooting it!" Alisa shouted, her attention still on the Chiyou. _"You can't keep this up forever so we'll see who will outlast who."_ She then continued the game of tag for the next minute. It was then when she leapt back and tripped on a pile of bricks. "Kyaaah." Luckily for her though, the Chiyou had ran out of steam and ceased its spinning at that moment.

Kouta took this opportunity to attack the Chiyou at an even faster rate. Up till now, the Chiyou had mostly ignored Kouta because either his attacks landed on one of the Chiyou's armored areas and did little damage or that he had simply missed. He wasn't much of a threat, but all it took was one lucky shot to the head to get the Chiyou's attention and divert it away from Alisa.

That was an opening that she was waiting for. Quickly getting back to her feet, she dashed towards the Chiyou and struck its back with a powerful slash.

After wailing in pain, the Chiyou turned around and swiped at her. However, she had ducked below the attack and unleashed a flurry of cuts to its chest, destroying its armor.

The Chiyou then leapt back and took flight. Before Alisa could get into a defensive position, the Chiyou dove at her with a quick burst of speed. Because she couldn't avoid or block the attack in time, the Chiyou barreled right into her and knocked her a few feet away. This time, she had sustained a serious blow so she couldn't get back to her feet right away.

With its wings beating, the Chiyou floated in the air and seemed like it was going to charge at her again. But before it did, Alisa saw that Kouta had approached the Aragami without getting notice by it. He was only a few feet directly below it and after shooting her a glance, he took aim and unloaded all of his bullets as fast as he could. Over 80% of them had made contact with the Chiyou's back, causing it to scream in pain before plummeting down to the ground.

"Is it dead now?" Kouta asked, poking the Chiyou's body with the barrel of his gun.

"Seems like it," Alisa replied after getting back on her feet. "What about the others?" She quickly turned her head around and saw Soma sitting by a wall, looking quite bored.

"All of the Chiyous are taken care of," he said.

"That's a relief," Kouta said, suddenly noticing the long cut on Alisa's arm. "Are you okay?"

"Huh?" Alisa looked at her arm and rubbed it. "…Yeah. Must've gotten it when I fell down."

"Hold on a moment." Kouta loaded a healing bullet before shooting Alisa with it.

"…Thanks," she mumbled.

"Annnd now I'm beat." He fell to the floor and laid on his back, looking up at the cloudy sky.

Alisa's legs were beginning to give out too due to all of the excitement so she located a broken vehicle nearby and sat on its hood.

 _"Good job, everyone,"_ Lindow called out from their ear pieces. _"I don't think there's any more Aragami in the area, but to be on the safe side, I'm having Yuu and Sakuya scout around. So hang back for a moment and rest up. They'll take care of the rest."_

* * *

Yuu and Sakuya later reported that they found no traces of any more Aragami in the city. Once they did, the mission was considered completed so the unit reconvened outside the city. They then climbed aboard the truck and safely rode back to the Den.

Alisa had somehow found herself sitting next to Yuu once again. Even though he was brushing against her body, she was too tired to protest much about it. There was something else that was bothering though as she closed her eyelids. _"Is he that much better than me? Even though we're both New-Types?"_ She recalled when she struggled to land a shot on the Chiyou while Yuu and Sakuya were able to effortless shoot one down. _"I can't accept this so I'll just have to work even harder."_ She mumbled something incoherent when Lindow broke the silence.

"Kouta, you were pretty impressive out there." Lindow nodded his head with approval.

"Really?" Kouta's fatigued face instantly lit up.

"Yeah…based on what I heard from Sakuya anyway." Lindow sheepishly grinned as he glanced at Sakuya.

"Thanks. I think I owe part of it to Momota-san. His instructions have been very useful…or at least the ones that I do understand." Kouta let out a small laugh and scratched the back of his head.

"Gen-san is a really good instructor that has helped many rookie God Eaters," Sakuya added. "Pay close attention to what he says because I'm sure it'll help save your life someday."

"Definitely. And of course, I also owe it to Kannagi-san for helping me train."

"Still doing Yuu's Spartan training?" Lindow asked, an amused expression appeared on his face.

 _"Spartan training?"_ At the mention of Yuu's training, Alisa's ears perked up and she suddenly found herself focusing more closely to their conversations.

"Yup. It's tough, but I think it's worth it." Kouta confidently nodded his head.

Both Lindow and Sakuya just smiled at his response and said nothing further.

* * *

When the 1st Unit returned to the Den, they all went their separate ways. Yuu was planning on returning straight to his room, but Lindow had stopped him before he traveled very far.

"Yuu, hold on a bit will ya?"

"What do you want?" Yuu asked in a slightly annoyed tone.

"What was your impression of the new girl?" Lindow asked, making sure that nobody was listening in on them.

"Impression?"

"I mean how well did she perform in battle? You were watching her right?"

"Well, she's alright I suppose."

"That's it? Kind of a harsh critique, especially to a fellow New-Type like yourself."

"That's just how I see it right now anyway. Decent in close quarters and ranged skills. Not particularly special in either field. BUT, she has potential if she works hard enough."

"Is that right? I was kind of expecting to have another extremely capable God Eater in my Unit because she's also a New-Type, just like you. But I forgot that she's still a rookie. As were you once upon a time."

"Yeah, it feels like it's been forever since I was _inexperienced_."

They both then walked towards the elevator and heard what seemed to be a heated argument. Upon closer inspection, they saw Alisa, Dr. Elena Thompson and another unknown middle aged man standing in front of the elevator. The man was wearing a white doctor's coat and a yellow bandana.

"I'm the medical physician in charge of all the God Eaters in this branch so I should also be the one to examine Alisa," Elena explained to the man who merely shrugged it off.

"And as I said, I'm her primary physician and have been caring for her since the past year. I believe that you are capable doctor, but you don't understand Alisa's condition as I do. And I'm also an expert on New-Types. Can you say the same?"

That last question seemed to have left Elena without a retort so she didn't say anything else.

"Okay, then let's get going Alisa." The man guided Alisa towards the elevator without much resistance from her. Before he left, he glanced over at their direction for one second too long.

"Who was that?" Yuu asked Lindow after Alisa and the man left.

"Don't know. Never seen him before."

"He's Doctor Daigo Oguruma," Elena replied with a deep frown. "He transferred here along with Alisa."

"Don't think I'll get along with him," Lindow said with a sigh.

"You and me both. Anyway…" She shifted her attention to two of them. "Why don't you both follow me to the infirmary for a check up? Unit 1 just finished a mission, right?"

"Eh, I'm feeling okay actually. In fact, I didn't even do anything." Lindow let out a loud laugh.

Yuu attempted to sneak away during their exchange, but it wouldn't be that easy for him.

"Regardless, you're coming with me. And don't think I forgot about you, Kannagi. A God Eater's well-being is extremely important for everyone at the Far East Branch. So just come quietly and it'll be over before you know it."

"…Yes ma'am."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The next chapter will come out within the next few months...probably.


	6. Childhood Friends

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yuu's connection with Lindow and Sakuya is revealed during a gathering of God Eaters.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's the next chapter. Not much to say other than it is shorter than my usual chapters, probably the shortest. It still took a long time to write though.

** CHAPTER VI: CHILDHOOD ** **FRIENDS **

            The battle at the ruined city was not considered an exceptionally difficult one, at least one where the majority of the unit’s lives were in danger. Even then, it was a pretty stressful one for Alisa. After Dr. Ogumura had examined her, she suddenly felt exhausted so she grabbed a quick bite to eat and immediately went to bed earlier than usual. That may have been why she woke up quite early and struggled to fall asleep again.

            “6:09 A.M…” She mumbled after taking a look at the clock beside her bed. “Still too early…” She buried her head under the pillow and closed her eyes. The minutes ticked by and she found herself growing irritated. “Arrggghh!” She threw off the blanket and leapt out of bed. “I can’t sleep at all.”

            After taking a quick shower, she changed and walked out of her room. It was dark out in the hall, but was slightly illuminated by the small lamps hanging on the walls. _“Guess I’ll take this chance to explore the Den.”_ With no particular destination in mind, she walked down the hallway, all the while peering into any open rooms and making a mental note of where certain rooms were located.

            When she was done exploring the entire floor, she rode the elevator down and continued where she left off. As she walked past the fourth room, she heard voices chattering in the distance. Following the noise, she found herself in front of a large double door that opened with a slight crack. _“What’s going on in there?_ Letting her curiosity get the better of her, she peered through the crack and saw two people fighting against each other. Upon closer inspection, she realized that it was Yuu and Kouta in the large room.

            _“What are they doing here so early in the morning?”_ She leaned her body further through the door a bit too much so she lost her footing and fell through the opening and then down to the ground.

            The room suddenly became silent as the fighting came to a stop. She could feel their gazes on her so her face became red with embarrassment. _“Oh man, I can’t believe I just tripped like that. I’m supposed to be part of the elite New-Types.”_ She quickly got back on her feet and tried to maintain a cool composure, despite still looking a bit flushed in the face. After letting out a forced intentional cough, she asked, “S-So what were the both of you doing just now?”

            “Something like a training session?” Kouta replied while trying to catch his breath. “Well, what we’re doing specifically when you walked in was a sparring session.”

            _“Training?_ _Ah, didn’t he mentioned something about that yesterday?”_ Alisa took a look at the exhausted Kouta. “I’m surprised that you’re interested in training in the first place. Especially to that extent.” Her eyes hovered over to the God Arc imitations and then to Yuu who was now sitting by the wall, his attention elsewhere.

            “I’m not surprised you think that at all.” Kouta replied with a loud laugh. “I was never the type to do such things before, but now, I realized it’s something I need to do for my sake.”

            For a moment, she thought she saw a hint of sadness flash across his face. It wasn’t there anymore when she got a better look. _“Something definitely happened to him, but what?”_

“Anyway, why are you here, Alisa? Are you doing some kind of early morning training

too?”   

            “Huh? Oh...N-Nothing like that. I was just walking around and saw you guys.”

            “Then how about joining us? Kannagi-san is really tough so you’ll definitely got stronger and faster in these sessions.”

            _“Train, with them?”_ Alisa’s eyes then hovered back over to Yuu who was now staring straight at her. “I-It’s okay. I prefer solo training.” She then walked out of the room without another word. For some inexplicable reason, she found herself frustrated at something.

          

* * *

 

            When it was a little after noon, Yuu went to his favorite udon restaurant at Tatsumiya. It seemed like it was going to be another lazy day for him. At least, that’s what he had expected. He heard a bell chimed after the door opened.

            “Welcome,” Matsukaze greeted. “You’re just in time.”

            Yuu turned to face the newly arrived person and was surprised to see Lindow, Sakuya and Kouta together. “What are you three doing here?”

            “We’re here to eat,” Lindow replied. “Can’t we be here?”

            “Obviously.” Yuu then looked out the window when the bell chimed again.

            This time, Soma and Alisa stepped through the door.

            Yuu gave the initial three a look which caused Sakuya to explain the situation. “Actually, we’re having a party of sorts. A welcome party for Alisa-chan and Kouta-kun and for your return as well. We didn’t think you want to join so that’s why we came over here, thinking that’s where you’ll be.”

            “You’ve become quite devious.”

            “I know, right?” Lindow said. “So you should be careful around her.”

            “What was that?” Sakuya asked, shooting Lindow a death glare.

            “N-Nothing.” Lindow cowered back into a corner.

            “Anyway, I’m surprised that you got Soma-kun to even join,” Sakuya said while looking at the frowning Soma who planted himself down on a seat.

            “I got my ways.” Lindow winked at Soma whose frown grew deeper.

            “I didn’t know Kannagi-san was a regular here,” Kouta said as he sat down on a chair. “I should come here more often now.”

            “Seems like you have someone looking up to you,” Matsukaze commented with a grin.

            Yuu just sighed and shook his head in response. “You should get back to getting my order ready.”

            “Yeah, yeah.” Matsukaze returned to his work as the others began sitting down and shouting out their orders.

            Sakuya then noticed that the only one left standing was Alisa who looked like she wasn’t sure if she should leave or join them. “What are you doing still standing there, Alisa-chan? Have a seat next to me.”

            “O-Okay.” At Sakuya’s beckoning, Alisa moved over and sat down without any more hesitation.

            “Then, let this party begin,” Lindow declared with a raised cup. “Matsukaze-san, five bottles of your best sake!”

            For the next half an hour, the 1st Unit ate udon while engaging in various conversations. Surprisingly, there wasn’t much talk about individual God Eaters’ history as if Lindow and Sakuya had actively avoided such topics. However, the discussions had eventually steered into Yuu’s prior background.

            “What?!” Kouta suddenly shouted. “Kannagi-san, Lindow-san, Captain Amamiya, and Sakuya-san were all from the same orphanage?”

            Alisa and Soma, who had both maintained a certain distance away from the ongoing conversation, had their interest piqued at this sudden revelation.

            “Yeah, that’s right.” Lindow confirmed. “Early on, it was just Tsubaki-nee and me. Then Sakuya arrived soon after. As for Yuu, I think he began living at the orphanage at about 10 years ago?” He looked over at Yuu who nodded his head. “But we were actually acquainted with him much earlier since he lived next door to the orphanage.”

            “Is that how it is?” Kouta glanced at Yuu who appeared distracted as he drank sake. “It did seemed like you three knew each other pretty well.”

            “It feels like we’re a family,” Sakuya said while she closed her eyes and reminisce about something. “Of course, I feel the same way towards all of you as well. We’re teammates in the same unit and part of the same Fenrir branch. The bond between all of us will remain even if we part ways.”

            The teammates took a moment to digest Sakuya’s words. It was Alisa who later broke the silence. “By the way, when did all of you join Fenrir?”

            Lindow scratched his head before he replied. “Tsubaki-nee joined many years ago, I forgot how long specifically. About 10 years ago, I joined up and Yuu followed right after. Tsubaki-nee was the captain of our 1st Unit then. After Yuu left, Soma joined our unit. Then Sakuya joined Fenrir as an operator first before becoming a full fledge God Eater.”

            “That’s a long time,” Kouta said before turning to Alisa. “Hopefully, someday we’ll be God Eater veterans like the others, right?”

            “Don’t put me together with you,” Alisa protested. “Well sure, I haven’t been a God Eater for a very long time yet and I don’t have much battle experience either too, but...” She began trailing off in a low murmur.

            Soma suddenly grunted. “All amateurs should just stay out of my way until you become a _veteran_.”

            “No need to so cold, Soma,” Sakuya admonished him. “You’re a veteran too so you should help lead the rookies by setting a good example.”

            “She’s right,” Lindow added. “I think you have what it takes to become a great leader someday.”

            Soma grunted again and turned his head. “Whatever.”

            Lindow wasn’t done as he walked up to Soma so that he was less than a feet away from his face. Placing his hands on Soma’s shoulders, he whispered in a low voice, “Hey...have some more confidence. You’ll definitely be one.”

            Soma’s face suddenly became pale as he shoved Lindow’s face away with his hand. “Quit it with the creepy voice.” He frowned and inched further away from Lindow before he continued with his meal.

            The sight had caused Kouta to break out in laughter much to Soma’s dismay. Even Alisa had started giggling, prompting Sakuya to point it out. This resulted in Alisa’s face flushing in a bright crimson red. The mood had lightened up quite a bit from then on as other unit members began making their appearances.

            “How’s it going, unit 1?” Tatsumi greeted. “Seems like an interesting party you guys got here. Let’s make it even better, right guys?” He turned to his two teammates.

            Brendan and Kanon nodded their heads and shuffled into the restaurant. Then, members of the 3rd and 4th Unit came as well.

            “Just how many people did you invite?” Yuu groaned at the sight.

            “Uh...” Lindow began counting on his fingers. “Every God Eater I saw?”

            Yuu just sighed at his response.

            “It’s fine. This way, we can use this chance to get everybody acquainted.

* * *

               

            On the following day, the 1st Unit had the day off after the long party they had. Yuu felt like he had gotten to know just about every God Eater at the branch yesterday. Even then, he could only remember a few of their faces.

            It was a relaxing day for him as he laid down on a bench from atop the roof. At least, that’s what it was supposed to be until he heard Tsubaki’s voice over the intercom.

            _“All Unit 1 God Eaters are to immediately report to the meeting room. I repeat. All Unit 1 God Eaters are to immediately report to the meeting room.”_

Yuu couldn’t help, but frown at that announcement. He wasn’t in the mood for a mission,

but he got up anyway.

         

* * *

 

            Once all of the Unit 1 members had assembled, Tsubaki stormed into the meeting room. "We have an emergency so listen carefully." She pressed a button on the remote and turned on the monitor which revealed a map of the surroundings. “Two of the buses that travel through Anagura and the other key locations throughout the Far East are under attack by Aragami. As we speak, the buses are making a straight path towards us, but they are coming from different directions. On board are about a dozen civilians on each.”

            “How far away are they from here?” Lindow inquired.

            “They're both about fifty miles away.”

            “How close are the other units?” Sakuya asked. "There's a reason that our unit is getting dispatched, right?"

            “The closest one is about 80 miles away and they’re traveling by vehicle. They won’t make it in time. For the others that aren't on a mission, units 3 and 6, they had just completed a grueling mission yesterday and are therefore in no condition to participate.”

            “So it’s up to us, huh.” Lindow concluded. “We’re going to have to split up.”

            “I’ll leave it to you to decide on how you want to split the unit up. But be quick about it. I’ll prep the helicopters so that they’ll leave immediately once you guys get there. Note that there are more Aragami attacking the bus from the north.”

            After Tsubaki left the room, Lindow turned to his unit and quickly looked at each member. “We have six people total. Considering that there are more Aragmai up north, we’ll have to split it four and two. So that means...Yuu and Alisa will be tasked with protecting the southern bus while the rest join me to protect the northern bus. I think with the two New-Types working together, they can handle whatever situation comes at them even with less people.”

            “That sounds good,” Sakuya agreed. “Then let’s depart right away.”

           

* * *

 

            Alisa and Yuu boarded the helicopter and were quickly off to the southern bus’ location. It had been estimated that they’ll convene in about five minutes. During that time, the two of them didn’t exchanged any words.

            _“This tension is getting unbearable,”_ Alisa thought. _“Maybe I should try and break it somehow.”_

            “Uh Kannagi-san, do you have any idea on how we should approach this mission?”

            “I’ll figure something out once we get there,” Yuu murmured.

            “I-I see...”

            _“Well that didn’t end well.”_ She looked at Yuu and saw that he was absentmindedly looking outside of the window. _“I can’t figure out what goes through his mind at all. He’s just like Soma-san.”_ She sighed out loud, but Yuu didn’t seem to have noticed. _“To think that he’s that famous God Eater. He doesn’t seem like a great leader.”_

            After a few minutes had flown by, they got notification that they were about to meet up with the bus. Yuu then moved to a different window and peered through it.

            “There’s several Aragami chasing after the bus. Ogretails and Kongos mostly. Distance is about 20 feet away from the bus. Amalia, get your God Arc ready. We’ll snipe them from here.”

            _“Amalia?”_

            “O-Okay.” Alisa scrambled to her God Arc and made sure everything was good to go. _“Snipe from here? My God Arc’s gun form is formatted as an assault rifle type. This will be difficult and I have to make sure that I don’t hit the bus while I’m at it.”_

“Catch,” Yuu said, throwing her a chain and motioned to his belt.

            She followed the other end of the chain and saw that it was hooked to the side of the helicopter. After she hooked the chain to her belt and made sure it was secured, she said, "Let's go."

            Yuu nodded and then swung open the side doors.

            She could feel a gust of wind blowing past her. _“This is turning out a lot harder than I thought.”_ She then carefully made her way next to Yuu who was standing at the entrance. They had sufficient room between them and their God Arcs so that they'll avoid bumping into each other.

            “Take care of the ones that are closer to the east side while I’ll take care of the ones on the other side.”

            “Got it.” And with that, the two began firing bullets after bullets at the Aragami. There were only about 20 of them at the time, but in a distance, Alisa could see a whole lot more catching up to them. Her God Arc was usually great for Aragami fighting in large groups, but at this distance, only about a third of her shots were actually hitting the targets. On the other hand, she could see that Yuu’s shots were hitting their targets with relative ease. She couldn’t help, but feel impressed at his ability to do that considering how far they were and that they were on a moving helicopter that wasn’t completely steady.

            _“Not good. I need to concentrate on my own targets.”_ She resumed her attacks and kept up the pace for the next few minutes. They didn’t make as much progress as she had liked. Even for the shots that actually hit their targets, it didn’t actually stopped the Aragami completely in their tracks. It stunned them for a bit, but they continued their chase soon after. To make matters worse, the horde of Aragami from the distance had closed in on the bus and joined their brethren.

            Then, a few of the Kongos had turned their attention to the God Eaters and began firing off wind blasts. All of them had missed until one had grazed one of its wings. The impact was enough to cause the helicopter to shake and spin around for a few seconds.

            Alisa let out a cry and help tightly onto a nearby pole.

            Once the pilots were able to get the helicopter back under control, Yuu declared a change in their plans. “There’s no telling what kind of damage was done to the helicopter so it'd be best that it returns back to base.”

            “Are you saying we should abandon them?” Alisa cried out, pointing to the bus.

            “No,” Yuu calmly replied. “We’re taking the fight down to them.”

            “You mean...” Alisa’s face suddenly became pale.

            Yuu nodded his head. “We’ll jump down onto the bus. That way, the helicopter will be out of harm’s way and our attacks will be more precise.”

            _“Jump down onto a moving bus? Is he crazy? We’re like 70 feet up in the air. Or is this expected of every God Eater?”_ She gulped down her accumulated saliva. “A-Alright. This is no big deal.”

            Yuu took one long look at her and then moved to the pilots. “You heard it right? Then go on back. We’ll be fine.” He then returned to where Alisa was standing and motioned to her chain. “Keep that on you when you go down. Just unhook the other end from the helicopter.”

            “Why?”

            “Just do it.”

            Alisa didn’t feel like arguing back, especially with the task that was coming up for her. She unhooked the end that was attached to the helicopter and got behind Yuu who was looking down at the bus.

            “Follow after me,” he said.

            “Wait-.” She reached a hand out, but Yuu had already jumped out of the helicopter without any hesitation. To her amazement, he safely landed onto the bus. “He’s crazy,” she mumbled. “And I must be crazy to do it too.” With shaky hands, she held onto the helicopter’s doors and looked down below. The mere sight of it was making her dizzy. As her heart continued to beat faster and faster, she waited until she thought she had reached the right distance between the bus and the helicopter. “Now!”

            She jumped out of the helicopter and the wind immediately blew up her from below. She wanted to close her eyes, but that was just going to get her killed. When she was about 40 feet above the bus, it suddenly dawned to her that she was going to miss her target, by several feet. _“I’m not going to make it. Mom...dad...”_ She closed her eyes and braced herself for the impact, but suddenly, her body began to launch itself up. After opening her eyes again, she saw that Yuu had grabbed onto her dangling chain and swung it up so that she was now flying towards the bus. When she landed, she almost slid over it, but luckily she was able to hold onto the railing that was on top of the bus.

            “Are you okay?” Yuu asked.

            “...Y-Yeah, I’ll be okay...I think.” Alisa slowly got up to her feet and nearly fell down again because of the bus’ sudden movement.

            “Good. We got work to do. Hook yourself to the railing.” He then returned his attention to the Aragami and fired off bullets.

            After Alisa did as she was told, she joined Yuu at the back and fired off her own bullets. They were a lot closer to the Aragami this time around. It was sort of frightening for her to see all of these Aragami running towards her, but she tried to concentrate on her mission.

            Things were going fine for them afterwards for the most part, but the number of Aragami continued to increase substantially so that the Aragami were inching closer and closer as time flew by. Alisa could hear the horrified screams and cries of the occupants from below. _“I think this is the first time I’ve had a mission that involved saving people.”_ The reality that so many lives were on her shoulders had hit her really hard at that point. Her focus became so unsteady that she didn’t realize an Orgretail had leaped up at her.

            “Watch out!” Yuu warned before jumping in front of her and cut the Ogretail apart with his blade. “What are you doing? Focus!”

            “Y-Yes,” she shakily replied. _“He’s right. I can’t get distracted now. I need to drown out their voices and focus only on the Aragami in front of me.”_ She slapped her face and with new resolve, she moved to the back again and unleashed her bullets at an given quicker pace than before. Despite that, their problem continued with the increasing Aragami. It got so bad that a number of Ogretails landed onto the bus.

            “I’ll take care of them so hold onto the line,” Yuu ordered.

            “Okay.” She nodded. It was frightening knowing that there were a few Ogretails closely behind her. _“But, there’s no need to worry. Kannagi-san will definitely make sure nothing goes wrong.”_ She suddenly felt relieved and concentrated her entire attention to the back.

            “They’re gone,” Yuu replied a few seconds later when he joined her at the back.

            _“As expected.”_

            However, the situation continued to escalate even further. More Kongos had joined the chase and they were firing off a number of wind blasts at them. The bus driver was making sharp movements to avoid the blasts, but by doing so, there speed had dropped each time allowing the Aragami to get even closer. Not to mention that the God Eaters have to stop their attacks while they keep from falling over.

            “This just got worse,” Yuu mumbled, as if he had read her thoughts.

            Alisa looked in the direction of where Yuu was looking at and saw a giant Aragami in the horizon, charging directly at them with incredible speed. It was quite different from most Aragami that resembled beasts. This one resembled something like a massive tank with threads on its legs. It also had a large ominous face for a torso and a skeletal figure at the top. Overall, it was taller than a one story building and could effortlessly crash through one. “Quadriga!” She shouted.

            “We’ll have to change plans again,” Yuu calmly decided. “The Aragami will catch up to us in no time anyway and we can’t protect the bus if that happens. So...I’ll remain behind and distract them while you stay with the bus as it continues down the path.”

            “I thought the helicopter jump was crazy, but this is even worse! There has to be about 40 Aragami here and that includes a few Kongos and even a Quadriga.”

            “We don’t have much choice. Besides, we can’t have the Aragami reach Anagura. We’re only about 20 miles away from here.”

            “But...” She made one last second protest, but Yuu didn’t change his mind at all.

            “Don’t worry about me, I’ll be fine.” All of a sudden, his eyes began glowing brightly as if the sun was shining down on them. “Take care of any stragglers that get past me.” Without any more delay, he jumped high into the air and turned towards the approaching missiles that the Quadriga had just launched from its torso. Turning his God Arc into gun form, he shot down the two missiles before changing his God Arc back into blade form. He dived down onto a group of Aragami and began attacking them with rapid speed. This was enough to get the Aragami’s attention so they all moved to convene onto him. The last image she saw before the bus got too far away was the mountain of Aragami forming where Yuu had been standing.

          

* * *

 

            Several minutes had gone by since Yuu had remained behind. There were a few Aragami that had gotten past Yuu so Alisa had to take care of them. Fortunately for her, it was just a few Ogretails that weren’t difficult to handle. _“Especially compared to what Kannagi-san has to deal with.”_

            Once the bus safely crossed into the walls of Anagura, Alisa jumped off the bus to check on its passengers. As expected, many were left in a nervous state. Their bodies were shaking, some were crying and even a few were throwing up on the side of the bus.

            “Thank you, Miss God Eater,” a female passenger said once she got out of the bus. “I don’t know what would’ve happened if you and the other young man weren’t there.” She grabbed Alisa’s hands and began shaking it. “Thank you.”

            “Huh? Ah...it’s nothing...We were just doing our job,” Alisa murmured. She suddenly felt embarrassed with all of the gratitude she was receiving. However, watching the passengers get off the bus and seeing that they didn’t suffer any serious injuries gave her an uplifting feeling.

            “I wonder if that young man will get back alive,” an old man said after he walked up to Alisa.

            “Wait, aren’t you the driver of the bus I was in when I got here?”

            The old man gave one look at her and said, “Ah...I think I remember you. Your clothing really stood out.”

            “I see...” She frowned and narrowed her eyes.

            “In any case. I think it was a few weeks ago when that young man said he won’t die that easily. He had interesting eyes, that one. I’d reckoned he was serious back then, but now...I don’t know. I’ve never seen anybody go against that many Aragami before and get away with their life intact.” He shook his head disappointedly.

            Alisa frowned and looked in the direction where they had come from. “I believe in Kannagi-san.”

            The old man’s eyebrows rose upward as he made an amused smile. “Is that so? I like to believe that.”

            _“Even though I said that, I still got an unsettling feeling in my stomach.”_

            She quickly dashed back into the Den to get a truck ready for her.

        

* * *

 

            “He was last seen over there, right?” The truck driver asked Alisa after driving for a while.

            Alisa squinted her eyes and could see piles and piles of Aragami’s corpses spreading across the area.

            “Just what kind of massacre took place here?” The driver continued. “I think we better stop here in case there are Aragami still lurking around, you know?”

            “That’s fine.” Alisa jumped off the truck and made her way to what appeared to be the center of the Aragami piles. She readied her God Arc and carefully looked at each of the corpses. All of the ones she saw were dead, all with many cuts and slashes on them. What was surprising was that most of these Aragami received very clean sharp cuts. _“Whoever did this was quite skilled, that’s for sure. They weren’t hacked to death. Was there a monster amongst these Aragami?”_

Just when she thought she wouldn’t be able to find Yuu, she saw the Quadriga, or at least

what’s left of it. Like the other Aragami, it was cleanly cut into pieces. Right next to it was Yuu who laid on the ground motionless. Alisa started thinking of the worst as she ran over to him. There were blood covering most of his body and his clothing was torn in multiple areas.

            _“I should’ve stayed behind as well...”_ Tears began forming in her eyes as she balled her hands into fists. “You’re an idiot for dying like this...”     

            “Who’s an idiot?” Yuu’s eyes shot wide opened, revealing his piercing red eyes. He let out a yawn and turned his head. “The bus got back safely?”

            Due to her shock, Alisa didn’t respond right away. “U-Uh...yes...it did.” She composed herself after realizing that Yuu was still alive and did not suffer any serious injuries.

            “I see.” When he attempted to stand up, he grimaced and reached towards his right shoulder.

            Alisa reached out and held a hand out to him. “Grab on.”

            Once Yuu grabbed her hand, images began violently flashing through her mind. Images of Aragami, alive and dead. Images of people she had never seen before. People in white lab coats and other people who wore red armlets. A bloody blade. Before she could see any more images, Yuu pulled his hand back. There was initial shock in his face and before it turned into something like irritation.

            “What...was that?” Alisa quietly asked.

            “The truck is over there, right? Then let’s head back.” Without even waiting for a response from Alisa, Yuu began walking away.

            Alisa then looked back down at her hands. “What did I just see?”

          

* * *

 

            The two didn’t exchange a word on their way back to Anagura and there was a similar heavy tension between them like when they were on the helicopter. Every now and then, Alisa would sneak a look at Yuu, but each time, she couldn’t figure out what he was thinking. It was as if nothing had happened at all. _“Maybe it was just a dream. It was a difficult mission so maybe...”_

* * *

            “Good work you two,” Tsubaki said when they met in front of the lobby. “There weren’t any casualties or any serious injuries. Go and get some rest. You guys deserved it.” After she left, Lindow, Sakuya and Kouta entered the room.

            “You’re back,” Lindow greeted. “We got back a little earlier ourselves. Good work.”

            “It was pretty tough for us, though,” Sakuya said. “Hopefully it wasn’t as bad for you guys.”

            “Well, ours was tough too,” Alisa replied. “Luckily we pulled through.” She glanced over at Yuu whose expression remained the same throughout.

            “I’m really glad that Lindow and the others were with me,” Kouta said. “I wasn’t able to help much.” He looked down as a frown appeared on his face.

            “Don’t be so hard on yourself,” Lindow said as he wrapped an arm around Kouta’s shoulders. “You stopped a few Aragami and provided quality assist fire.”

            Sakuya nodded her head in agreement. “That’s right. I think your skills have noticeably improved since you first came here.”

            "Really?" Kouta made a blissful expression as if he was a dog that just received praise from his master.

            "Anyway, how about grabbing something to eat?" Lindow suggested.

            "Alright," Yuu replied. He then followed after Lindow when Alisa suddenly called out to him.

            "Um, Kannagi-san."

            "...What?" Yuu's face did not betray whatever he was thinking.

            "Nevermind," Alisa said, shaking her head. "It's nothing."

            Yuu gave one long look at her before heading out.

            "Maybe I should just forget about it," Alisa said with a sigh before looking down at her hand, clearly remembering the sensation she experienced. "But still..."


End file.
